Teenage Students Give Back to Children and Community
Ruled by bits and bytes, today’s fast-paced society offers numerous technological outlets for America’s youth with education and entertainment. A teenager’s summer can be spent surfing the net, skyping with peers across the globe, or speeding through a vast web of digital information. Though presented with numerous opportunities, three Dallas teenagers spent a week of their summer engaging in the most rewarding activity of all—giving back to their community.
Since its inception in 2005, Earning by Learning’s Summer Reading Institute provides children in the southern sector of Dallas an opportunity to participate in an enriching program designed to bolster comprehension and vocabulary as well as introduce children to higher education. At the end of the week, two to three students are awarded a college scholarship courtesy of a partnership between Earning by Learning and the University of North Texas Dallas. These children leave the Institute with both an increased set of reading skills and a new hope for their future. Deja Jennings, Le’Tre Howard, and Brandon Crear, now high school students, recall their experiences at the Summer Reading Institute with fond memories that ignited their passion for helping children discover the joy of reading.
This year, the former scholarship winners returned to the Institute as student volunteers, facilitating the integration of the traditional classroom with innovative technology. Though Deja, Le’Tre and Brandon are active with numerous extracurricular activities such as basketball camp, each sought the chance to participate in this year’s Institute in order to contribute to the program that revolutionized their outlooks on reading and education. Deja, Le’Tre and Brandon traveled from classroom to classroom, motivating the children to participate in reading activities and analysis over Because of Winn Dixie, the 2001 Newberry Award recipient by Kate DiCamillo. Integral in the technology lab, the teens used their computer knowledge to assist children in taking reading comprehension and learning style assessments.
Though only a few years have passed since Deja, Le’Tre and Brandon participated in Earning by Learning’s Summer Reading Institute and received their scholarships, their return to the program this year testifies to the Institute’s success in instilling the value of education and philanthropy to children. Deja’s, Le’Tre’s and Brandon’s support of the Institute not only warm the hearts of their former teachers but also inspire new generations of students to give back to their communities. As teenagers, they are surrounded by a multitude of opportunities and activities to occupy their busy schedules during their summer, but their passion for reading and desire to play a part in shaping the lives of children is a testament to their belief that youth have the willingness to serve, the skill set, and the ideals that transform communities. Earning by Learning salutes Deja, Le’Tre, and Brandon for their contributions as both volunteers to the Institute and role models prepared to address one of the most critical needs in our communities--literacy.
Founded in 1996, Earning by Learning partners with corporate, foundation, school and nonprofit entities to encourage children to read. EBL is sponsored by the Ricky Rudine Memorial Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas and the New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas. To learn more, please visit www.eblofdallas.org.
Contributing Writer
Jaclyn Le
Stanford University
Class 2012
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