Profile Written by: Ben Hollingshead, Volunteer
Our Family Literacy Program Volunteer of the Year, Ryan Chang, is an incredibly energetic and talented volunteer who loves seeing the transformation in the students he works with, from participants with varying degrees of enthusiasm for books at the program’s start to consistently confident and engaged participants by the end of the program.
Ryan grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, and joined the United States Naval Academy immediately after high school. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 2016 with a BS in Control Systems Engineering and is an active-duty Navy officer, a senior logistics officer for VRM-50 in the Osprey V-22 aviation squadron. As part of his duties, he is responsible for his squadron’s logistical and financial needs, including procuring all gear and life support materials for over 40 pilots and aircrew and acquiring all the replacement parts and tools necessary to maintain the aircraft.
Ryan has always loved reading and read voraciously at an early age. As a Naval officer in Coronado, he searched for an organization that would allow him to volunteer in an area he was passionate about. He stumbled across the Words Alive website, signed up as a volunteer, and worked for one “semester” as an Adolescent Book Group facilitator and two “semesters” as a Family Literacy Program teacher. While reading has helped him garner academic and professional success, Ryan points to a less obvious benefit: it has made him “a more adventurous, cultured, and empathetic person.” Ryan’s adventurous spirit is evident in his work and hobbies: he is an avid traveler and eater. His empathy is demonstrated in his interactions with his students. He invites all the children’s voices into the Family Literacy Workshop, visibly sharing his love of reading with the group. Ryan also points out that his relationship with reading has evolved as he has worked with Words Alive. “I always enjoyed reading for the stories they’ve told, but as I’ve gotten older, I have been paying more attention to the life lessons these stories can tell us, not just the entertainment.”
Ryan recently applied to business school and is deciding between MIT Sloan and Columbia Business School. He believes his work with Words Alive played a role in his business school acceptance, as it demonstrated his commitment to mentorship and community. Ryan hopes to continue to work with Words Alive. “Although it’s a little far away, I’m hopeful I can still teach online if my schedule permits!” Ryan, thank you for all your hard work, and congratulations on winning Family Literacy Program Volunteer of the Year!
Book recommendation: Ryan is a big fantasy reader and is currently reading The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin. His favorite fantasy novels are the Game of Thrones series - he read the series long before the TV show came out and highly recommends it! He also recommends The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.