WAWS Evaluation Finding #2: Communicated Expectations Improve Student Performance

To continually provide meaningful and evaluation-driven programming, Words Alive commenced on a seven-month Dialogues in Action (DIA) project to analyze the impact of our Words Alive Westreich Scholarship (WAWS) program using a blended qualitative and quantitative evaluation model. Through this process, we had an opportunity to view our program through the lens of the scholarship recipients, past and present, and their mentors to determine opportunities to enhance our program delivery.

Throughout this process, we identified eight findings and then brainstormed ways we could update and improve the program based on these findings. Here is the second finding!

An image of our scholar Damieon with his mentor David at the 2018 Words Alive Westrecih Scholarship Award Ceremony.

Raising the Bar: Communicated Expectations Improve Student Performance

Remaining eligible for the WAWS program requires that students regularly meet with their mentor, turn in academic progress reports, maintain a 2.0 GPA while enrolled in six or more credits and attend at least three of the professional development workshops offered throughout the program year. The program was intentionally designed with these requirements with the hope that students would develop habits of accountability and timely communication. We also hope that students will learn that they will face consequences if they do not complete program requirements in a timely manner. For example, a late fund request could result in not receiving their financial aid until the next month, or if a student does not attend the required number of workshops, they could lose eligibility for the scholarship for the next school year.

Through the interviews, we found that many students did, in fact, learn these skills. One scholar said very explicitly:

“I’ve learned to have more responsibility. There are different tasks we have to do to complete the scholarship, like submitting our grades and meeting with our mentor once a month. We have to write notes about what happened during the month. This responsibility I’ve learned also helps a lot in school and with my job.” – Scholar, age 23

Another scholar remarked:

“I’ve learned how to be on top of things, how to make deadlines and turn things in on time. It’s been good practice.” – Scholar, age 22

Yet another scholar said:

“The number one and most valuable thing I’ve learned is organization. To get the funds you’re being checked in on monthly and that forced me to change my life around and make education my number one priority.” – Scholar, age 25

A graphic that features a quote from a scholar. The quote is overlayed on top of an image of post-it notes. The quote says the following: “I’ve learned to have more responsibility. There are different tasks we have to do to complete the scholarship, like submitting our grades and meeting with our mentor once a month. We have to write notes about what happened during the month. This responsibility I’ve learned also helps a lot in school and with my job.” – Scholar, age 23

Clearly, the program requirements had the impact we intended. These requirements held students accountable and forced them to stay engaged with the program, and in the process, they learned responsibility, increased their communication skills and prioritized the scholarship and their education.

However, we also found that these requirements only had the impact we intended if the scholars understood and perceived them as mandatory. This past year it became clear to us that one scholar, who only met with his mentor three times, didn’t understand that attending the workshops was a mandatory requirement of the program.

In the survey, this scholar responded “moderately” to the statement: “I know what is expected of me by Words Alive and my mentor.” In this scholar’s interview, we saw a general lack of benefit from the WAWS program. When asked, “What changes are you seeing in your life as a result of the program?” he responded, “I haven’t really seen any changes in my life.” Comparing this answer with the other scholars, we see how the requirements being mandatory is absolutely essential.

Significance

It is significant that many scholars mentioned that the skills they learned because of these program requirements were then applied to other aspects of their life, such as school and work, which is imperative on their journey to adulthood.

We also found it interesting and surprising that while many scholars stated they had learned these skills (i.e. timely email communication, responsibility, organization, time management, etc.), they also often cited these same skills when asked about the recurring challenges they face. This points to the fact that these skills are a work in progress and take years to develop. The scholars’ self-awareness in their development is important because it shows they are capable of realizing where they started, what they have learned from the program and where they still have room for improvement.

Learn more about the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship program here!

WAWS Spotlight: Destiny Frost

An image of Destiny holding up her award at the 2018 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Award Ceremony.

Destiny is a third-time Words Alive Westreich Scholarship recipient. She is currently attending California State University Bakersfield where she is studying Criminal Justice in hopes of becoming a probation officer. Destiny is self motivated, easy-going and driven. Some of her personal goals are to discover new hobbies while doing her absolute best to keep up her grades.

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.

Let’s hear more from Diana!

Name: Destiny Frost

Age: 19

College: CSU Bakersfield

Area of Study: Criminal Justice

High School: Monarch School

Mentor: Chris Edwards

How did you first get involved with Words Alive?

I was first introduced to Words Alive my sophomore year at Monarch in Mrs. Becknells class.

How has your experience with Words Alive affected you?

Words Alive has affected me by introducing me to pleasure reading. Before joining Words Alive I only would read books that were assigned to me in class and now I read just for myself. It has helped me with my vocabulary and focus.

What have you accomplished this year that you are most proud of?

This year I passed all of my classes with flying colors. This is what I am most proud of because my freshmen year I did not pass all my classes. I was able to show myself that I can do anything I put my mind to.

What are you reading lately?

Some books that I have been reading are The Other Wes Moore: One name, Two Fates, and Hidden figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space.

WAWS Spotlight: Diana Gonzalez-Soto

An image of Diana holding her award at the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Ceremony.

Diana is a student at San Diego City College and has been a part of the Words Alive Westreich Sscholarship for four years. Her long-term goal is to become an English teacher to help students who have had trauma in their life by dismantling barriers to educational success. She is a mother of two children, a writer, and all-around creative person. Diana works at FamilyHealth at City College providing information to students on the mental health services available on campus.

“Diana is a hardworking woman. I am always so impressed with how graciously she juggles all her responsibilities.”

-Susan Arias, Diana’s Mentor

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.

An image of Diana with her family at the 2018 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Award Ceremony.

Let’s hear more from Diana!

Name: Diana Gonzalez-Soto

Age: 25

College: San Diego City College

Area of Study: English Literature

High School: Lindsay Community School

Mentor: Susan Arias

How did you first get involved with Words Alive?

I first got involved with Words Alive during my youth in Monarch and later reconnected with them again at Lindsay Community School.

How has your experience with Words Alive affected you?

Words Alive has affected my life positively. Since joining the scholarship program, I have become more self-aware of what my goals are. I’ve also learned problem solving and perseverance.

What have you accomplished this year that you are most proud of?

Becoming a DACA student, continuing another year at City College, and becoming a Price Scholarship recipient.

Tell us about your favorite college memory.

My favorite memory is when I participated in a May Day rally for worker's rights.

What are you reading lately?

The Alchemist and books by the author Bell Hooks.

November is Family Literacy Month!

By Jennifer Van Pelt

A graphic that features a quote from one of our Family Literacy Program Participants: “Before, my kids did not treat their books with respect. They used to flip through all the pages and mess them up but the books we get from the program are like magic. They take care of them and hug them and cuddle with them before bed.”

What is Family Literacy Month?

November is Family Literacy Month, a time to bring awareness to the importance of reading as a family. Family literacy can be more than reading together, it can also include engaging in other activities that focus on reading, writing, spelling, or storytelling. In a publication by the National Literacy Trust, they cited parental involvement as the most important determinant of language and emergent literacy. Bringing these activities into the home in a one-on-one environment can mean much higher interest  in reading as well as higher learning rates.

What Does Family Literacy Look Like?
The most important aspect is that family literacy should be a family activity. This means children should be interacting with parents, grandparents, or siblings when taking part in these activities. It’s also important to make it fun -- children don’t necessarily need to know that they’re learning while you partake in these activities! Some examples to “gamify” your day to day are:

• Ask them to name every item around them that starts with the same first letter as their name

• Ask them to read street signs, or infer what the signs mean from the drawings on them

• Switch off telling stories about your days

• Read the book version of their favorite movie

• Take family outings to the library where reading is the main activity

Words Alive’s Family Literacy Program

Words Alive offers a Family Literacy Program for parents and preschool-aged children to attend 7 workshops together. The program includes a weekly information session for the adults, then together the children and parents partake in a group story time as well as guided activities. Our Family Literacy Program focuses on three goals:

1. Parents develop an internal commitment to reading -- develop sustainable family reading habits

2. Parents and children become lifelong learners -- expand knowledge of how to best develop and support their child’s development

3. Parents become advocates for their children and their futures -- embrace role as their child’s first and foremost teacher

Working towards these goals gives parents the right tools to have deeper engagement with their children when reading together. When asking for feedback from the Family Literacy Program participants, one parent wrote:

“Before, my kids did not treat their books with respect. They used to flip through all the pages and mess them up but the books we get from the program are like magic. They take care of them and hug them and cuddle with them before bed.”

These positive changes and relationship to books is what Words Alive hopes to achieve. Our program has demonstrated an 87% increase in the percentage of families who look at books together at home by the end of the 7 week program. By providing this program to families, we are giving them the tools that they need to understand the power of reading and what it can mean for their lives. If you would like to learn more, you can visit our programs page here.

Sources:
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/11/national-family-literacy-day/

WAWS Evaluation Finding #1: Learning From and Limitations of Financial Awards

To continually provide meaningful and evaluation-driven programming, Words Alive commenced the seven-month Dialogues in Action (DIA) project to analyze the impact of our Words Alive Westreich Scholarship (WAWS) program using a blended qualitative and quantitative evaluation model. Through this process, we had an opportunity to view our program through the lens of the scholarship recipients, past and present, and their mentors to determine opportunities to enhance our program delivery.

The aim of our evaluation was to ascertain the type of impact our program has on the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship recipients. We interviewed nine scholars who received various amounts of money through their participation in the program and six mentors who worked with students locally and remotely across several program years. In addition, we designed a questionnaire and sent it to the entire WAWS population (current and previous scholars) to collect data geared toward quantitative measurements.

Throughout this process, we identified eight findings and then brainstormed on ways we could update and improve the program based on these findings. Here is the first finding!

An image of the 2017-2018 Words Alive Westreich Scholarship students at their financial literacy workshop at Finance Park.

More Than Money: Learning from and Limitations of financial awards

One might assume that the most impactful element of a scholarship program would be the money itself. However, our research found that the money awarded through the scholarship was not enough to negate the broader constraints of scholars’ financial circumstances nor to ensure a sense of financial security. That being said, a much-welcomed finding is that, as a group, scholars are thinking about and using money differently than they did before the program.

The scholarship program has several features intended to help students develop positive financial habits and feel more financially secure. Unlike many traditional scholarship programs, students can spend their awarded funds on living expenses such as rent, food, public transportation and child care. Money is disbursed monthly into personal checking accounts for greater access to cover these kinds of off-campus expenses and is often a student’s first time establishing a relationship with a bank. Additionally, students attend a financial literacy course led by experts in the field and are encouraged to work with their mentor on budgeting practices throughout the year.

Interviews with scholars who attended the workshop and/or addressed budgeting with their mentor described a better understanding of spending behaviors and different decision making about how to use their money.

About understanding their spending behavior, scholars said:

“[The financial workshop] made me realize how much I was wasting and how much I accumulate each month by going to restaurants instead of eating at home.” – Scholar, age 22

“I've been using a template that my mentor shared with me. I ask myself, ‘Do I really need this? Do I want to waste my money on this? Have I bought the right things first?’ I'm more aware of what I buy...For example, do I want to go to Jack in the Box and feed myself for an hour or go to the grocery store and feed myself for a week.” – Scholar, age 26

A graphic featuring the above quote over a background of a few dollars and coins spread out over a counter.

About making money decisions differently, many scholars reported saving money for the first time in their lives, while others described strategizing their spending in other ways:

“I’m spending more of my money on school supplies and using free school resources for food. I’m saving scholarships for further down the line. I’m using that money for other materials, like in 1-2 years when I know I’ll have like a $5,000 tuition. So, I’m planning for that...I’m stretching my budgets to cover everything I need. I’ll spend 3 days researching something I need to buy to find the best price. I think these changes are feeding my motivation and keeping it alive. “– Scholar, age 20

“When I first got the scholarship, I was going through a tough time. I had just been kicked out of my living situation and I was living off the scholarship money. So, I learned how to budget money for necessities like food. I had my young daughter, so I had to think about her. I didn’t really have help, so I had to figure it out on my own and I was very young. This taught me how to save money and not spend on things you don’t need. And the scholarship money was limited so I learned how to extend it out.” – Scholar, age 18

Survey responses reflected a similar sentiment, in which after participating in the program, 85% scholars reported that they often or always use budgeting skills and tools to manage their financial situation than reported doing so before participating in the program.

A graph titled “% of scholars who reported often or always using budgeting skills and tools.” It shows that 85% use budgeting skills after participation in the program and 15% use them before the program.

It wasn’t easy though, and in their eyes, consistency and discipline with budgeting remains a challenge:

“I go on and off with the financial habits. I try to tell myself, it’s okay just keep it in your head. I have done better budgeting in the past, but then I have an emotional breakdown and that makes all the habits go away. I want to get back to it...I just need more practice with budgeting.” – Scholar, age 22

“My [money] management fluctuates. I set up a savings account at a different bank not tied to the app on my phone where I can transfer money between accounts easily, and I didn't get the card. That way I have to make a special trip to the bank to take the money out, which I know I wouldn't want to do. I'll save up a lot, like $500 until recently, but then I'll dip into it for some expense and have to build it back up. Now I have $260+ in that account and I know I have to get back on track and not touch it.” – Scholar, age 26

We believe a contributing factor to success with budding budgeting skills may be the amount of money awarded to scholars. All scholars participating in the program have been impacted by extraordinary life circumstances and the financial hardship connected to those circumstances, and there was consensus among interviewed scholars that the amount of their financial award was not significant enough to cause lasting financial change or relief in the larger context of their lives. However, seen in the chart below, students who received larger financial awards reported feeling less stressed about their financial situation, as well as sticking to their personal budget and accessing financial resources outside their scholarship more often.

A graph titled “Student confidence as compared by size of awarded scholarship funds.” The graph compares responses to statements such as “feeling less stress about their financial situation” based on how much money they receive.

Significance

A central goal of the WAWS program is to provide funding to support a scholar’s academic trajectory. That the financial component is not restricted to certain kinds of expenses makes the scholarship both unique and a powerful tool to address the “real life” financial obstacles that keep scholars from focusing on their education. As it stands, scholarship awards are not enough to remove those obstacles completely. An intended impact for this program is that scholars work toward a level of financial sustainability by building positive financial habits. As one mentor put it, “any new financial habits are a big deal” and while not perfect in execution, new understanding and practices are in fact taking hold and endowing scholars with a new skillset for managing their challenging financial situations to leverage the resources they have.

One scholar summarized this reality beautifully:

“I have more common sense, better decision-making skills and am wiser. Financial burden takes a lot out of you, [but] I don’t feel as dragged down by it.” – Scholar, age 20

Learn more about the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship program here!

Words Alive Welcomes John, AmeriCorps VIP Fellow

An image of John Camitan standing in front of a brick wall and smiling at the camera.

John Camitan joined the Words Alive Family in early September through the AmeriCorps Program, and will be working us for the 2018-2019 program year. His focus with the organization will be in volunteer infrastructure, and he will be a fixture at upcoming program and volunteer events. So far, John has hit the ground running and we’re so glad he’s part of our team.

We hope you get to meet him soon, if you have not yet!  Now, let's hear from John directly!

What intrigued you about Words Alive?

A big selling point was Words Alive working to inspire children to love reading and become lifelong learners. It put into perspective how much I took for granted, the number of books that I had access to as a child and how that impacted my development. It is such a noble cause and I am proud to be a part of it.

What are you most excited about in your new position?

I’m excited to work with a team that is genuine and passionate about helping members of the San Diego Community. I am eager to grow professionally with Christina’s guidance and help further develop the Words Alive volunteer program. As someone who is looking to enter the non-profit sector after completing law school, I am also excited to learn about how non-profits function and network with San Diego’s Non-Profit Community.

 What is your relationship with literacy?

I attribute a lot of where I am to literacy. The Harry Potter novels started my love of reading and sparked my curiosity for not just young adult books, but for other forms of literature. This love for literacy followed me to college where I studied Political Science, which consisted in hundreds of pages of political analysis. I don’t foresee my relationship with reading stopping anytime soon as I hope to attend law school in the future. 

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading IT by Stephen King. I watched the recent film adaptation and didn’t want to wait until Part 2 came out to find out what happens next.

An image of John sitting at a table with a fellow volunteer at this year’s Author’s Luncheon & Fundraiser!

Currently, there are no employment opportunities at Words Alive, but we are ALWAYS recruiting wonderful volunteers to work in the classrooms with our students and families. Check out how to get involved as a Words Alive volunteer!

Annual Report: Family Literacy Program

What happened in our Family Literacy Program in the 2017-2018 school year? Well…a lot!

To start, 437 families came through the door, taking home 2,511 books and clocking 1,310 hours of shared learning time. Let’s dive in and share what else happened in the program this year!

Meet Sheena

An image of Sheena Burks. She is standing in front of a bare wall and smiling at the camera.

In our sixth year of the program, our expanded facilitator team included Sheena, a talented mother and preschool teacher who attended the program the past two years with her young boys. She is the first parent participant to go on to lead the program with other families. Sheena has been able to use her experience as a participant in the program to shape her leadership style. Over the past year, Sheena has inspired 72 families through the Family Literacy Program, while sharing her own stories and experiences to help strengthen their connection to reading. Through this unique perspective, Sheena has been able to see the incredible effects the program has on children and families.

“I had a parent say that they couldn’t get their son to read at all because he thought it was boring,” said Sheena. “But after the program, they’re saying that he wants to read more and more...he’s comfortable now — he’s not feeling forced to read!”

Reporting Out

An image of Sheena facilitating a Family Literacy session. She is sitting on the floor with guardians and children while they all look at books together.

To engage returning families, Words Alive introduced new curriculum, including new book titles and supporting activities — and it was a huge hit! What’s more, parent knowledge in understanding child development, implementation of literacy-building activities at home, and book sharing behaviors continue to increase for our families during their time with us. With the increased knowledge and skills that come from our programs, parents are empowered in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. By the program’s end:

• 68% more families reported having a routine for looking at books with their child.

• Families reported an average 38% increase in the size of their home libraries, growing on average from 11 to 16 books.

• Families that completed our program reported a 40% increase in understanding how their preschool child learns and have created a language-rich environment for them.

Moving Forward

Parents play the most critical role in developing skills and abilities within their children. Parent engagement is one of the key factors in a quality childhood program. At Words Alive, we know that our Family Literacy Program is engaging parents in a meaningful way and making an impact on the families who participate each year. We have successfully collaborated with a variety of partners like the Fullerton School District, who offered four sessions of our program in their schools after we trained their staff and provided curriculum.

“Words Alive has empowered parents to support their children acquire valuable literacy skills, engage families in discussion about meaningful literature, and connect our parents into our school community.” —Dr. Robert Pletka, Fullerton School District Superintendent

We continue to see the same results in the families through this training model and through direct services. Going forward we want to continue to diversify where we can offer our Family Literacy Program by reaching out to families through classes located within their communities.

Learn more about our Family Literacy Program here!

WAWS Spotlight: Zaphire Alonso Duarte

An image of Jessica Fryman, Teen Services Program Manager, standing with Zaphire at the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Ceremony.

Zaphire is in her fourth year of being a Words Alive Westreich Scholarship recipient. She graduated from San Diego City College in May with her associate’s degree, and she started at San Diego State University this fall. Zaphire is a Resident Supervisor on a residential program from the YMCA.

She would love to work and help families that are dealing with problems in their life, and help them seek a better future for themselves.

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.

Let’s hear more from Zaphire!

Name: Zaphire M. Alonso Duarte

Age: 22

College: San Diego State University

Area of Study: Social Work

High School: Monarch School

Mentor: Tammy Greenwood

An image of Zaphire with her mentor Tammy Greenwood at Zaphire’s graduation from San Diego City College.

How did you first get involved with Words Alive?

I started being involved at Words Alive during high school, since I was in the 11th grade. I learned about a lot of different books, and that opened me to read more books. After high school in 2014, Words Alive has been my support system.

How has your experience with Words Alive affected you?

It has helped me more than financially. The Words Alive program has been my support system personally and academically. I am extremely thankful for all the people who are part of the staff, they are the best in always being on top of things.

What have you accomplished this year that you are most proud of?

I have graduated from San Diego City College after 4 years and will be transferring to San Diego State University.

Tell us about your favorite college memory.

My favorite college memory was being able to have great moments with my classmates. For example, take time out of class and go out to the beach or to the movies.

Learn more about our Words Alive Westreich Scholarship program here!

Words Alive Curriculum Sneak Peek!

By Jennifer Van Pelt

Words Alive’s Adolescent Book Group and Read Aloud Program have started back up for the school year! We are excited for our volunteers to get back into the classroom and engage with students while reading and talking about books together. In our curriculum for both programs, we focus on new, diverse, and relevant texts so that students can see themselves represented in popular stories.

In 1965, The Saturday Review published “The All-White World of Children’s Books” showing that only 6.7% of children’s books published in the past three years had included black characters. By 2013, the numbers had only risen slightly to 10%. More than a third of people in the United States are non-white and they deserve to see themselves represented in literature as much as anyone else. Providing students with diverse representation in books is so important in our programs and allows students to make connections between the books they read and their own lives.

Here is a sneak peek of a few of the books we’ll be reading in each program this year!

Upcoming Curriculum for our Read Aloud Program

Although children’s books are generally shorter, we want to ensure that students get the most value out of each book we bring into the classroom. Rather than reading through each book and moving quickly on to the next, our volunteers bring the book to life by asking questions before, during, and after reading aloud to encourage the students to participate. The goal is to bring enjoyment to the classroom through reading while helping children develop cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills.

For the month of October, we have a Halloween themed book titled Trick-or-Treat: A Happy Hunter’s Halloween. The book includes 15 different poems describing youngster’s Halloween celebrations, accompanied by bright illustrations. While reading, our volunteers help students focus on rhyming, rhythm, and emotion. Students are also given the chance to learn about and create their own silly alliterations and share their own Halloween costumes with their peers.

An image of Giraffes Can’t Dance surrounded by children’s toys! Photo credit: phenom_llama

Another book our volunteers are looking forward to reading is Giraffes Can’t Dance. This book follows Gerald the Giraffe’s journey from a self-conscious to graceful dancer, including all of the animals and friends he meets along the way. As with most books at this level, our volunteers talk a lot about the book before reading it -- what do the students think the story will be about? Where do they think the book is set? After reading the book, some topics of discussion will be idioms included in the story as well as what lessons were learned.

Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? describes Elizabeth Blackwell’s decision in the 1830s to become a doctor instead of a mother or housewife. A big focus of this book is relating it to the students own lives: what do the students want to be when they grow up? Does it remind them of any other people they know who have worked to achieve equal rights? Relating a book to our reality helps bring the book to life and can make it a more memorable activity for students.

Upcoming Curriculum for our Adolescent Book Group Program

Our ABG program serves teenagers in alternative schools who have faced extraordinary circumstances such as violence, pregnancy, and homelessness. Our trained Words Alive volunteers facilitate book discussions, writing workshops, and projects to help bring the books alive.

An image of Turtles All the Way Down surrounded by flowers! Photo credit: courtneyandherbooks

Among the new and diverse texts we’re bring into the classroom this year is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. Positive and accurate mental health representation is still so rare in our media and this book can be highly impactful for students with any type of mental health problems. This book explores topics of friendship, mental health, and mystery as 16-year-old Aza investigates the disappearance of a billionaire The discussions around this book include some of the unique writing techniques John Green employs, as well as how mental health plays a part in the story and in real life.

An image of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe! Photo credit: sarachico

We’re also excited to introduce students to the wonderful YA coming-of-age novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. This book follows two high school aged boys, Aristotle and Dante, as they struggle and come to terms with their racial and sexual identities and feelings of loneliness and anger. This book tackles a wide range of topics for students and volunteers to discuss together, and while reading students will be able to enjoy Saenz’s poetic and beautiful writing style.

Finally, a brand-new book we’ll be diving into this year is Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro. This book details Moss Jefferies’ life after his father was murdered by an Oakland police officer and how he continues to be treated like a criminal in his own school. This book touches on themes of racism, oppression, police brutality, and activism. Discussions around this book focus on problem solving, activism, and how different upbringings can affect perspective.

This sneak peek represents just a few of the books we’ll be reading and discussing with students this year. These engaging, diverse texts and topics are sure to get all of our students excited about reading and learning!

WAWS Spotlight: Rose Gonzalez

An image of Rose Gonzalez holding her award in front of a Words Alive backdrop.

Rose Gonzalez is a fourth-time recipient of the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship. She graduated from Monarch School and now attends San Diego State University where she is majoring in Criminal Justice.

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.

An image of Jessica Fryman, Teen Services Program Manager, standing with Rose Gonzalez at the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship Ceremony.

Let's hear more from Rose!

Name: Rose Gonzalez

Age: 21

College: San Diego State University

Area of Study: Criminal Justice

High School: Monarch School

Mentor: Bernadette Delaney

How did you first get involved with Words Alive?

I was in the Adolescent Book Group in high school while I was at Monarch School.

How has your experience with Words Alive affected you?

My experience with Words Alive has affected me greatly. They have been an amazing support with school and my personal life.

What have you accomplished this year that you are most proud of?

Getting an A in my stats class and receiving two scholarships.

Tell us about your favorite college memory.

Making new friends and becoming a part of Guardian Scholars.

What are you reading lately?

Memoirs.