Welcome to our blog series, Plot Twist! Here, we'll be sharing the stories of people in the Words Alive community — stories of change, growth, and maybe a few surprising twists! We hope that through these stories, you'll get to know our community a little better and see the power of literacy come to life. This article is part of a special edition of this series as it spotlights our incredible volunteers who have been nominated for Words Alive’s 13th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Celebration!
Image of Angela Tran.
Our Curriculum Editor of the Year, Angela Tran makes her impact felt at Words Alive no matter the distance! Based in New York, Angela graduated college with a major in Chemistry and minors in Biology and Philosophy. She now works full-time as a medical scribe for an urgent care and has been volunteering with us virtually as a Curriculum Editor since November 2020!
“...I don’t directly see or talk to the students who use these guides as I volunteer remotely from another state. However, I enjoy working as an editor because I’m allowed to be a part of making these [curriculum] guides become a success. Reading has always been one of my hobbies since I was young, and it makes me happy to know that these guides are helping kids fall in love with reading too.”
Angela discovered Words Alive while exploring VolunteerMatch for ways to continue helping at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She explained feeling connected to Words Alive’s mission as it allowed her to combine her hobbies of reading and editing peoples’ written work for fun to make an impact on others.
As a Curriculum Editor, Angela edits the learning kits and guides that our volunteers and teachers use to help students engage with the books they’re reading for Words Alive’s programs. Collaborating with our Curriculum Designers and Writers to create finalized guides, she’s worked on twelve curriculum guides so far and is now editing her thirteenth! She shares, “…Even though my role was only one part of the process, it felt meaningful knowing that I was able to help put together something that would help other children enjoy reading and writing.”
Cover of Why am I Me? by Paige Britt, Sean Qualls, Selina Alko.
This sentiment carries from her experience of working on her very first curriculum guide back in November 2020 for the book, Why Am I Me?
Angela recalls that editing the guide for its story, which focuses on figuring out what makes a person unique, carried a lot of meaning for her as the guide challenged young students to find their own answers towards a topic that even adults struggle to tackle. After finishing her edits, she described seeing the final version of the guide in December as incredible and felt grateful to have contributed to its creation. She reflects, “I hope that the students who used this guide also enjoyed reading this story and were able to understand a little more about what makes them special as human beings in this world.”
In the future, Angela is set to matriculate to medical school this upcoming summer 2022! She revealed that amid her busy work and school schedule, volunteering at Words Alive helped her to revitalize her hobby and appreciation for reading, as well as reminding her “how words can shape the person you become and how important it is to learn how to read and comprehend.”
Angela, thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and dedicated work helping us to uplift children, teens, and families through reading. We’re so grateful to be a part of your volunteering journey and positive impact!
Book recommendation: “They Both Die at the End” by Adam Silvera
This post was created by Gabby Villadolid, Words Alive’s Storytelling Intern! Do you love writing and have an interest in helping Words Alive create this type of content? We'd love to have you on the team! Email to learn more.