Congratulations, Spy! How does it feel?
Amazing! It's a huge honor to be chosen as Spy of the Month, so I'm pretty much giddy with excitement.
How did you first get involved at 826CHI?
I've been participating in 826CHI summer programs and snooping around the then-Boring Store since I was little! I'm also lucky enough to be friends with several student authors, so I've seen the empowering impact 826 has on young writers firsthand. When the opportunity to get out of my high school and dedicate significant time to an organization I was passionate about arose, I knew 826CHI was the place for me.
What has been your favorite 826 experience so far?
Probably working in the storefront and getting to greet students I've gotten to know as they begin to file in for After-School Tutoring & Writing!
What do you do when you aren't working undercover?
I'm a senior in high school, so I'm either speed-walking down a hallway somewhere, stress baking, or trying to write poetry.
Our top agents always have the best codenames. What’s yours?
Oatmeal Cookie!
Any words of wisdom for aspiring spies of the month?
Try everything! Any volunteer opportunity you choose will be super rewarding, be it a store shift, tutoring, or helping out at a special event.
Our 826 Day event on the roof of Ace Hotel Chicago was a beautiful celebration of our community from our donors to our students and everyone in between (pictured above is 826CHI supporter TASHA’s performance). Our book P.S. You Sound Like Someone I Can Trust was available in the hotel’s suites, Ace Hotel Chicago has hosted our annual love-themed print show featuring work by local artists inspired by our students writing on love, and their Senior Sales Manager, Tenasha Wilcoxon, spoke to our students in After-School Tutoring & Writing’s Speakers & Snacks series about what it’s like to work at a hotel.
The partnership between East Village Youth Program and 826CHI is a yearly collaboration to help students achieve their goal of being accepted into their college of choice and for many to be the first in their family to attend college. This fall, 826CHI staff and 12 volunteers worked with 13 high school seniors on their personal statements for college applications. The partnership continues in the Spring when 826CHI and volunteers will return to EVYP to support students as they apply for scholarships.