KIDS4KIDS BUDDY READING PROGRAM

In 2017, I won The Most Promising Illustrator Award at a story creation competition hosted by Kids4Kids. My cousin Lauren and I created a story together called ‘All That Matters is the Heart’, where she wrote the story and I illustrated it. The story was about a talented minority girl who loved to dance ballet, and how she helped her friend with dance practices and their friendship blossomed.

The competition piqued my interest in the organization, Kids4Kids. I started joining their Buddy Reading Program a few years later. At the Buddy Reading Program, I read to the children and translate the harder English words to them, while asking them interactive questions about the book. I also played games and made arts and crafts that were related to the book with them. Although it was conducted over Zoom, I had an amazing time interacting with them, and to see their smiles every time they popped onto my computer screen was extremely exciting.