Celebrating Our Graduating Scholars: Domminiece Willis!

"Words Alive has been such a huge stepping stone into both my transition into college and adulthood. I have picked up on so many educational, social and life skills throughout my time with Words Alive." -- Domminiece Willis, Words Alive Westreich Scholar

An image of Domminiece at her graduation. She's holding her Southwestern College degree up to the camera and smiling, and she's wearing a Words Alive Westreich Scholar stole!

The Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Program awards scholarships to participants in the Words Alive Adolescent Book Group to support them in their pursuit of higher education at the college or vocational level. Unlike other scholarship programs, which typically fund only tuition, books and educational supplies, each recipient is eligible to receive funds to cover the cost of rent, food, childcare, clothing, travel and other living expenses. Additionally, the program matches each recipient with a mentor. Student and mentor meet regularly throughout the school year, and the mentors provide guidance, direction, and often, a shoulder to lean on.

In the past month, we have seen three of our scholarship students, Domminiece Willis, Zaphire Alonso Duarte, and Lexi Martinez, graduate from community college with associate's degrees. All three students graduated on May 25, 2018, Domminiece from Southwestern College and Zaphire and Lexi from City College.

Words Alive is thrilled to have been a part of the journey towards success for all of these wonderful students. We are so proud of all of them; they embody what it means to persevere and thrive.

We interviewed Domminiece Willis to learn more about her college experience and her experience with the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Program.

Read on:

An image of Jessica Fryman, Teen Services Program Manager, and Domminice Willis at the graduation!

Name: Domminiece Willis

Age: 26

College: Southwestern College

Degree (with area of study): Associates in Art: Child Development

Mentor: Karen Ladner

1. When were you first introduced to Words Alive? How has your experience with Words Alive affected you?

I was first introduced to Words Alive through the monthly book groups held at Monarch School in 2010. Words Alive has been such a huge stepping stone into both my transition into college and adulthood. I have picked up on so many educational, social and life skills throughout my time with Words Alive.

2. What was the biggest challenge you faced in earning your degree?
The biggest challenge that I faced in earning my degree was struggling with self-doubt, overwhelming course loads and comparing my progress with others. I found myself constantly belittling myself or disregarding any minor achievements or progress that I had made because in my point of view I was ”behind” everyone else and that began to take a toll heavily on my grades and my motivation to finish college.

3. How did you overcome that challenge?
With the help of my family, mentor, and another Words Alive staff member, I dropped my course load in half. I took a break from the scholarship and I focused more on celebrating my achievements, big or small, and understanding that my educational journey is not like everyone else’s and that I will move at my own pace and in my own way, but I will make it to the finish line. Regardless.

4. What is your favorite book that you read during your college years? Why?
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I remember reading this book and having to pause saying, “This is ME, this book is about me.” There were so many similarities between me and the characters of this book. The struggles of stability, financial issues, schooling and self-discovery throughout this book spoke to me and gave me such a positive outlook on life because it was so refreshing to see how everything worked out for her in the end.

5. What are your future plans now that you have earned your associate degree?
Now that I have my associate degree in Child Development it's off to San Diego State University in the fall to earn my bachelor’s in child development, so I can become a Child Life Specialist. Can't stop now! The future children depend on me!

6. What advice do you have for the next generation?

Keep going, stay positive and always surround yourself with a strong support system! It's going to be hard and you'll come across many obstacles in your life. You'll get a few bruises here and there and it's okay to sit and cry over them as long as you get up to grab a band-aid and push through.

Learn more about our Teen Services program here: http://www.wordsalive.org/teenservices/

Save the Date For Our Annual Art & Literacy Event!

At Words Alive, our goal is to help the students in our programs make connections between books and themselves, others, and the world. By learning that books have implications beyond being "just another school assignment", we hope to help students and families fall in love with reading and become life-long learners.

One way we accomplish this is through the Arts Component of our Adolescent Book Group (ABG). Each year, ABG students participate in a program-wide literacy and arts project that enhances the reading experience and encourages students to think critically about themes in the book and their own environment.

An image of a student from Monarch holding her piece of the communal sculpture. Her piece was based around the theme, "grief."

This year’s project, called "The Love You Give," is a response to Angie Thomas' #1 bestselling novel The Hate U Give. The project creatively weaves the book’s message and themes into a communal wood sculpture designed by artist Isaias Crow, facilitated by Words Alive volunteers and produced by students who attend Juvenile Court and Community Schools.

If you're an avid reader of our blog, you'll know that we recently published a piece about the connection between art and literacy. A study was done on students who participated in the “Learning Through the Arts” (LTA) Program at the Guggenheim Museum. Over 200 students and teachers participated in the program and were later tested and interviewed to monitor their progress. A few notable outcomes came about from this program, as noted by ArtsEdSearch:

• There were increases in critical thinking and literacy skills among students who participated in the LTA Program.

• LTA students provided interview responses using language associated with higher grade levels and with more words than those who did not go through the program.

All of this explains why we continue to coordinate this project year after year. This study, and others before it, supports the idea that art education teaches more than just art: it helps to expand critical thinking and language development. We know first hand how meaningful this project is to our students, and how beneficial it is to some of them to approach learning in a different way.

An image of a student from 37ECB holding his piece of the communal sculpture. His piece was based around the theme, "bravery."

One of our ABG volunteers, Allison Keltner, had the following to say about facilitating this year's project at 37ECB:

After nearly a full semester working with the students at 37ECB, I looked forward to the Arts Component project for The Hate U Give. Each week, we saw a range of participation levels and interest from the students—from those who would barely utter a word to those who gladly took charge of the discussion—and I expected (hoped!) that most would be into the art project.

I wondered, week to week, what the students were really getting out of the discussions we were leading. Some that would be really into it one week wouldn’t speak up the next; others seemed constantly distracted. But in every session, I was always impressed at least once by someone’s insight or reaction to the book. What I enjoyed most about the Arts Component was seeing something from every student. I was thrilled to see their artwork and hear how each related their piece to the theme of bravery.

I had a hunch that at least a couple kids would thoroughly enjoy getting to express themselves in a different way. And surprise, surprise: once we set up the paints, two of the quietest students immediately picked a spot together away from the rest of the group and settled down to work. They were so intent, and took such care and thought in perfecting their pieces, that we had to give them extra time the following week to finish painting.

Jessica Fryman, our Teen Services Program Manager, had the following to say about this year's project:

“The arts project really brings the book alive for the kids. It’s really special to see students connect to what they’re reading and be able to express themselves.”

A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 8 at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado in San Diego. You won't want to miss the chance to see these inspiring pieces! The San Diego Art Institute is also hosting a community art day, which will showcase the exhibit and artwork from other Title 1 schools from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 9.

We hope to see you there to celebrate art and literacy with us! 

The Gift of Reading

Literacy is the foundation of our success. It allows us to learn, to teach, and to make change in the community. Our three programs tackle literacy issues among children, teens, and families, each with the shared goal of creating life-long learners. Establishing a commitment to reading gives individuals the confidence to change their communities and take charge of their life.

Our programs inspire a commitment to literacy early in life so children and teens do not remain illiterate into their adult lives. Our Read Aloud Program sends trained volunteers into elementary classrooms and engages children with stories. Teen Services ensures young adults have a space to discuss novels and can pursue higher education with our Westreich Scholarship Program. The Family Literacy Program empowers parents to make reading a priority in their home and teaches effective methods of doing so. Each of our programs aims to prevent illiteracy later in life by engaging children, teens, and families with reading early on in their development.

Words Alive is proud to offer these programs that empower participants in all stages of life. In order for us to continue giving the gift of reading, we need your generosity and support. This holiday season, when reading a card, your favorite novel, or this blog post, be thankful for the opportunities you had to become a developed reader. Help Words Alive create this same experience for others in San Diego by making a donation. Your generosity will help advocate for literacy and allow us to give the gift that keeps on giving. 

Literacy is important; it is the foundation of success in our society, and Words Alive strives to ensure we all have the same opportunities to achieve our goals.

Preventing the Summer Slide

Words Alive was honored to have been a partner in the Readers in the Heights program this summer alongside Community Housing Works, San Diego Workforce Partnership, San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego Council on Literacy, City Heights Public Library, and United Way San Diego. Readers in the Heights was a pilot program aiming to prevent summer slide by aligning and leveraging existing resources to bring summer learning opportunities to the City Heights Community Development Corporation (CHCDC). This year there were 51 children enrolled in the program and 36 children with perfect attendance. The diverse demographics of the children involved in the program is reflected in the varied language spoken at home. Families reported Somali, Amharic, Spanish, Arabic, Kizigua, or Haitian Creole as their primary language spoken at home. During the program the children had the opportunity to take field trips to the library, be read aloud to, create arts and crafts and make new friends. 

Words Alive modeled our Small Group session during the Readers in the Heights program and providing volunteers to read preassigned books to the children followed by a small group book discussion. During the small group, children are divided into groups of 4 and have the opportunity to look more closely at the book. The Words Alive volunteers ask questions that encourage participation and analytical thought while providing a space for every child to share their opinions about the story. The Readers in the Heights facilitators have noticed and reported the positive impact of the program, “The kids look forward to the reading components as the ‘special part’ of the program”. 

After 4 weeks of hard work and fun the participating families graduated from the program. Graduation day celebrated the families for their dedication and time they have invested in their children’s education. We wanted families to walk away feeling appreciated, empowered, and fulfilled. 

2016 Adolescent Book Group Impact Report

It's that time of year when Words Alive begins sharing the outcomes of its programs from the recently completed school year. Through our work with the San Diego County Office of Education, we've been able to share quantitative outcomes of our Adolescent Book Group - the numerical value the program has had on teen participants. This has generally included test scores and other measurable indicators highlighting increased critical thinking skills and better language and vocabulary usage.

However, another element we really want to know is whether or not HABITS around reading have formed. Are the students BECOMING readers? Has the PRACTICE of reading taken hold? These are very important qualitative indicators that show that the lives of the young people in the ABG program are improving. Gathering this data, and creating a narrative around these outcomes have proven more difficult to get.

Since January 2016, with the support of the William R. Gumpert Foundation and under the direction and guidance of Dr. Steve Patty's organization, Dialogues In Action, we joined a cohort of other local non-profits to explore just that - the deeper, more meaningful findings that qualitative data tells us about the impact of our programs. We designed evaluation instruments that gave us insight to the role that reading plays on the students' lives, and the kind of people they were evolving into because of their relationship to reading. 

On August 11th, we had the opportunity to present, briefly, some high points of this discovery publicly. This month, we also shared with the Board of Directors, the findings as anthologized in the 2016 Project Impact Report as published by Dialogues in Action. Here, we're proud to provide to you the full report, complete with findings as well as our methodology. We encourage you to read it. It's fascinating to see how these young people evolve and change in some extremely positive ways. 

Many of us take the act and practice of reading for granted. We've always done it. We know that the ability to read and write effectively is responsible for much of our success. We see how reading plays a vital role in nearly every aspect of our lives. But for a lot of young people in our community, the regular act of reading - and the benefits there of, have yet to be fully present. This is the purpose of Words Alive - to make reading MATTER. You'll see in the pages of this report, that this purpose is taking hold, and consequently changing a lot of lives for the better.

Please, click HERE to read the report.

Family Literacy and the Power of Play

Play is important for children and adults everywhere. Not only is play a good stress reliever, but playing with your child is a good way to bond and assess your child’s development milestones. For the children themselves, “play contributes to children’s fine and gross motor development and body awareness as they actively use their bodies.”

During our Family Literacy session each week we talk about two major themes: The power of play, and how to make reading more playful. We emphasize the importance of children using their entire body and senses to learn.

A delicious example of this is the book Growing Vegetable Soup. During this session we played a smelling game, asking families to guess the fruit or vegetable in an unmarked container by using only their sense of smell. After the game the children stamped vegetables on paper plates to remind them that literacy is all around us, including in the kitchen. One little boy said, “I want to make sure we put this somewhere in my room so I can see it every day.” The families shared different items they can use at home to play the smelling game (i.e cinnamon, basil, mint, cloves, anise star etc…)  

Through this example we are connecting the power of reading with the world that surrounds us. Having children use their outside sensory abilities to connect to the book will allow for them to have a deep and more meaningful connection to reading and to the world around them.

The First week of April marked the start of our second session of Family Literacy Programming for the 2015/2016 season. For seven weeks we will be working with over a 100 families. Each week we have fun activities and games to engage families, making reading a part of their daily routine!

Here are some of the things families shared they are doing at home after they completed a 7 week session with us:

“When we read ABC Animal Action at home my kids wanted to read the entire book and act out the letters and the way the animals moved.”

“When we read Is Your Mama a Llama, my daughter made sure to point out all the rhyming words.”

“We had the Spanish copy of Is Your Mamma a Llama so his dad can read to him, and we love it because it rhymes in Spanish too.”

Our Family Literacy Program is a full adventure for both the parents and children.  If you are interested in visiting one of our Family Literacy sessions we would be happy to make the arrangements. We have ongoing sessions from now until May 20th. Please contact Amanda Bonds at, [email protected] to schedule a time and join us at a site, as we continue to MAKE READING MATTER!