Philosophy+Statement

**As a young child growing up on the Southwest side of Chicago, I had never been able to wander far from the community I grew up in, because I was afraid of what could lay outside. But reading allowed me to discover the mosaic of life. Through reading, I was able to understand, admire, and appreciate the diversity of life. I learned that being different is not what separates us: it's what makes us human; it's what makes us equal. I want nothing more in life than to share in the value and wonder of reading. I want to help people reach beyond the outskirts of their own communities and discover the beauty of diversity for themselves. Life is a mosaic and we are the pieces that tie it all together.**