Marla Leonce

This summer, I spent my time working as an intern at the George Latimer Central Library, originally planning to focus a majority of my time on learning about how children learn to read, but I gained so much more. As an aspiring education lawyer, it was important to me that I work in an area that helps educate so many for free. I spent the majority of my time throughout high school and my early college years at the library, taking advantage of the opportunities it offered. 

One of the first projects I undertook at the library was designing a literacy wheel. I focused on two age groups, children from 0 to 2 and from 2 to 4. Planning activities around the science of reading was a collaborative process with many different library members. The children’s librarian at George, as well as other library branches, helped me put together a list of developmentally appropriate activities. Thanks to these librarians, I was able to have finalized versions of the wheel available for an author storytime I set up. Local author Sideena Grace and I partnered to do a joint storytime around space while centering the stories of African American youth. One of the most memorable parts of the event for me was seeing the children interact with the literacy wheel and take it with them.

Aside from my original project, I also learned about libraries being a third place for others and saw how librarians addressed community needs. The Literary Action Cohort I got to attend this summer features librarians at different branches coming to work on projects for their libraries. At Highland Park, my local library, librarians came up with a way to revitalize the teen space. They even encouraged teens who use that space to fill out a small form, letting them know about changes they would like to see. This internship showed me just how important libraries are in the community. My resolve to become an education lawyer has only grown more after being in these spaces and seeing how important it is to have a safe space for community members.