It has been the month of books and literacy. I have given over 1,200 books the past couple of weeks to students all over New Jersey. I have gone to elementary schools, visited classrooms, and shared with students that reading can be fun. A common question I get from students is: What is your favorite thing about being Miss New Jersey? My answer is that I get to travel around New Jersey and meet students and talk about one of my favorite things in the entire world… READING! It makes me smile when I can get students excited about reading.
I have also had the opportunity to attend a few Literacy Volunteers of America events. The most memorable one was when I visited their facility in Camden. During the couple of hours I spent there I spoke with many adult students with ages ranging from early 20s to 60s. There were quite a few students that were working toward their GED. One of the questions I had for them was: What was their reason for improving their literacy? Many of them talked about improving their reading and math skills so that they could get a better job or get a job in the first place. One common reason that many students seemed to have was that they wanted to be a positive influence on their children and family members. They wanted to be an example of how education can improve their living standards. There was one young woman who will forever be etched in my brain. Her child was recently taken away from her because she was seen as being unfit to care for her child. She explained to me how that event had been rock bottom for her. She was so determined to get her child back she came to the Literacy Volunteers of America to improve her reading skills so she can get her GED and a job. She will then be able to support herself and her child. For the last five years I have concentrated so much on improving literacy in children by getting them excited about reading. I have now learned more about the struggles that illiterate adults face. This is why it is so crucial that we as a society work to insure that children do not leave school without the literacy skills they need to be successful in their lives.
To read more about my visit you can go to http://www.camdencounty.com/county-news/miss-new-jersey-2011-visited-literacy-volunteers-adult-program
Please also visit the website of Michael Antonio shoes. http://www.michaelantonio.com/ They have generously sponsored me this past month and supplied me with the most gorgeous and fashionable shoes and boots. You can also find them on Facebook! Thank you Michael Antonio!!
Congratulations to our new title holders Lauren Talvacchio, Hilary Levin, Christine Skorenko, Lindsey Giannini, and Madison Alterman. The pageants have been wonderful to watch and our new competitors have a wonderful year ahead of them.
Till next time,
Katharyn Nicolle
Miss New Jersey 2011
