My article about Amanda Gorman and WriteGirl, the non-profit whose members mentored her in high school, ran in the January 27, 2021 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.
I was absolutely over the moon to have been asked to write this. It’s everything I love to research, know, and spread the word about!
As you probably know or have heard, read or seen, Amanda Gorman is an incredible young woman. But did you know her sister, Gabrielle, is also extremely accomplished as a filmmaker? I discovered these apples don’t fall far from the tree, as the saying goes…
Joan Wicks was a single mom with three kids when she found out about WriteGirl and applied for her twin daughters to get in while they were freshmen in high school. Meanwhile, she was teaching English at a middle school in Watts in Los Angeles while getting her PhD. She is now Dr. Joan Wicks and still teaches English at the same middle school.
Keren Taylor, the founder of WriteGirl, had an epiphany to start the organization after 9/11. She’d been teaching workshops in schools in New York City and after the World Trade Center attacks happened, she felt she had to do something. Something meaningful. Something to make a difference. She started WriteGirl two months later in December 2001.
WriteGirl celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and they have a 100% college attendance record for the students they’ve mentored over the years.
The story is about great parenting and teachers, the power of vision, and women professionals coming together and empowering the next generation. I hope you give it a read (it’s not long) and you’re as inspired, encouraged and motivated by it as I am! ✨
