She is a winner of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes and a SC state winner of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Also, a recipient of the US President’s Service Award for her work with Need To Read Book Club, she sat down to answer a few questions. Q: With so many varied interests, what drives you to still be involved with Need To Read Book Club? A: I am driven because I know that Need To Read Book Club works! This idea is constantly reinforced by the determination and dedication of the middle school members. They constantly inspire me to continue and to search further and further “outside the box” to make reading and education fun and relevant. In fact, middle school club members are now asking me to create a high school program so that they can continue… I guess we’ll see. But back to the question, I am also driven because of the big difference Need To Read Book Club made in my life during my own middle school experience. I realize that middle school is a pivotal time, during which kids make decisions that affect them their entire lives. Need To Read Book Club empowered me to think outside of my own little world and make a difference in the world of others. It has also done this for many, many other kids. Seeing middle school students thriving and flourishing as Need To Read Book Club members, seeing them associating themselves as readers and leaders, is really what motivates me!
A: I am the one who chooses the books for club members to read. I try to read all of them ahead of time, but the books I have not read have been highly recommended to me by others. Need To Read Book Club is about empowering students, in all senses of the word “empower.” Not least of all, it is about empowering their minds, showing them the depth of the world and its people. So when I start creating the book selections, corresponding activities, and discussion, I do so with the goal that kids realize that they can explore our entire globe through reading. I want them to realize the breadth of human experience, and encourage them to learn more. Q: Why do you feel service is important for middle school students? A: With service to others, there is a sense of fulfillment. Middle school students have a natural inclination for independence, and community service is a great way to experience that. I had this idea in mind when I created “Reading For Others” Service Project as part of the Need To Read Book Club. I wanted to empower middle school students to do something important, but to be the incentive for their reading, also. That is why all Need To Read Book Club books, activities, and discussions are designed to build up to the culminating “Reading For Others” Service Project. Having been empowered to explore “big picture” ideas throughout the year and to recognize themselves as leaders, students are given the opportunity to make a powerful, hands-on difference in their communities. They work to raise money, buy books, and distribute books to the children’s charity of their choice. The recipients of the service are really inspired because they recognize the sincerity of the club members. Every “Reading For Others” Service Project distribution that I have attended has amazed me! I can hardly put into words how wonderful it is! I suggest that you look at the slideshow of “Reading For Others” Service Project Pictures on our website to see for yourself.
A: What don’t I see in the future for Need To Read! [laughs] Well, besides the high school program that club members keep encouraging me to develop, one thing that is at the top of my priority list is the creation of an ESL [English as a Second Language] and cross-cultural program that expands on the principles of Need To Read for these types of students. I remember sitting in a classroom in Chile completing worksheet after worksheet in Spanish, and realizing that there were kids a lot younger than me doing this in the United States, but in English. I want to offer a program where ESL is viewed as an opportunity and not a hindrance. I am currently developing it based on the principles of promoting family and heritage, while instilling a love for reading in English and community activism. This is a lot of fun for me! Birthplace: Fairbanks, Alaska on July 1st, 1992 Dream Trips: I would love to go to Rome, the Salzburg Festival in Austria, and Machu Picchu in Peru. I would also love to travel around Asia, especially visiting South Korea, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, and Japan. I would like to spend a lot more time in South America and go to Africa… I guess my dream trip would be the entire world! |
Emily Conrad is student at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she is studying Spanish, German, and economics. Her passions for education, language, world culture, history, and music are integrated into her continuing work to build the Need To Read Book Club program she created while a middle school student. She started playing piano at age 3, reading music before words. Her true musical passion, however, is opera. 
Q: How are the books chosen for Need To Read Book Club?
Q: What do you see for the future of Need To Read?
