I am dedicated to equity through language and literacy and believe every child can learn to read. The
students I tutor are from diverse backgrounds and experiences based on race, gender, socio-economic
status, age, medical condition or disability, religion, nationality, culture, and political perspectives. This is
apparent in my work when I seek out literature by diverse authors, and when children can see
themselves in the characters in books like Bud Not Buddy, Brown Girl Dreaming, Summer of the
Mariposas, Listen, Slowly, and Everything Sad is Untrue. In the classic Anne of Green Gables, even Anne
is marginalized because she is an orphan who would be diagnosed with ADHD today. It is apparent in my
scholarship when I learn from Kareem Weaver’s "Right to Read" documentary. Kareem Weaver is an
Oakland NAACP activist who believes literacy is our most important civil right. It is apparent in my rate
structure when I take into consideration how much under-resourced grandparents can afford to pay to
help their grandchild close the academic gap that widened during the pandemic.  It is apparent when I mentor

an underrepresented student in Washington DC through a grant from The Greater Washington Community Foundation for out-of-school learning experiences to help close the racial wealth gap in that area. It is apparent when I volunteer as a teacher at Children's Hospital and work with disabled and ill children. I help all children develop the skills they need to fulfill their potential. I meet students where they are and consider their unique lived experience. A threshold often figuratively marks a moment of transition. We step over the threshold together and through the door to new awareness.