Dear Reader,

I remember the excitement I felt in the times when the women around me, primarily my mother, granny, and 5th grade teacher, decided to pull out a storybook and read it to me. The vibrantly illustrated pages, the simplistic yet stylized language, along with the captivating stories kept me excited, and encouraged me to explore my own artistic talents. My love of reading flourished when I started my journey as an educator. Starting as an instructional aide to help elementary students develop their literacy skills, it was here I recognized my passion for sparking a child’s love of exploration and experimentation through the admiration of art and reading. Through my work, I want to help children and their families see how literature and art can be empowering. After reading a variety of works, from children’s picture books to revolutionary autobiographical novels to poems written in Harlem, I now understand the sentiment of “if words can oppress us, words can also set us free.”

Through creating expressive art and writing sincere stories and poems, my goal is to not teach students how to read, but instead, help them foster a love of reading. Every step I take is one to help build Station 95, a nonprofit that aims to build and sustain community through literary, visual, and performing arts. As a painter, writer, and teacher, I aspire to cultivate all of my passions to create an educational nonprofit that serves low income students of color by providing artistic and literary after school programs in underfunded public K-12 schools. Along with this, I want to inspire all to explore the world outside the bounds of their communities through art, literature, and love.

Yours Truly, 

One of the Creative Minds of S95