Emily Benz’s love of reading helped her identify a problem that she knew she could help fix.
Benz, a Nursing major from Burlington, Vermont, found through tutoring kindergarten students that many of them didn’t have books at home. So, she immediately got to work to change that by starting Project Bookshelf, a program that collects and distributes books to kids in Vermont who need them.
To date, Benz and Project Bookshelf have collected almost 900 books to distribute. She works with partner organizations, such as the Children’s Literacy Foundation, LUND, and various community centers around Vermont to get the books into kids’ hands.
“The kids are so excited to be able to bring books home. The looks on their faces make the work all worth it. It’s really about the excitement in their faces at the end of the day,” she said.
Benz said that it’s important to get kids excited about reading because there is a strong correlation between kids having access to books and academic success.
“I am a big book reader myself, and my mom is a kindergarten teacher. I grew up with a love of books, so I wanted to share that with the kids and make sure that they were getting the same opportunities that I had,” Benz said. “There’s this gap that happens when kids don’t have books at home. They are more likely to drop out of school down the line, and I want to make sure these kids have an equal opportunity.”
Giving back to her community is important to Benz, and she does plenty of it. In addition to Project Bookshelf, Benz serves as president of the Nurses Association, a justice on the Student Government Association College Court, and a peer tutor in the Academic Support Center. She is also a community advisor in the residence halls. She plans to work as a neonatal intensive care unit nurse and go back to school to become a neonatal nurse practitioner.
At Castleton, she enjoys the campus environment the most.
“It’s such a tight-knit college. Almost anywhere you go, there is someone you can say ‘hi’ to and form a connection. I knew right away that I would fit in because everyone is so welcoming,” Benz said. “I became a community advisor so I can help welcome new people into the community.”