READ TO LEAD Program

The Ron Brown Scholar Read to Lead Program addresses the challenges of literacy and achievement by coupling the book I Have Risen: Essays by African American Youth with a powerful set of teaching points to be used in classrooms and enrichment programs. The goal of the Read to Lead Program is simple: to inspire young people to a lifetime dedicated to leadership and literacy. The Read to Lead Program uses positive stories of achievement in spite of adversity to teach the GOALS leadership philosophy:

• Leaders Graduate
• Leaders Overcome
• Leaders Achieve
• Leaders Lead
• Leaders Serve

Our goal is to instill the importance of literacy and leadership and the practical ways that developing skills in both areas will enhance a student's life. We believe the Read to Lead Program is an invaluable resource as we work to inspire students and equip them with the tools for success. We believe the power to effectively engage young minds lies within the book, I Have Risen: Essays by African-American Youth and thus, the Read to Lead Program uses this book as its centerpiece.

In commemoration of the 10th year of the Program in 2006, the Ron Brown Scholar Program released I Have Risen: Essays by African American Youth, a compilation of 50 essays written by Ron Brown Scholars as part of their application to the scholarship program. Selected for their quality of expression and touching messages, the essays of I Have Risen are the voices of seventeen- and eighteen-year-old African American youth who have overcome numerous obstacles to arrive at a place of great success: college attendance.

Each essay is accompanied by a captivating portrait of its author that helps bring the words to life. The stories capture the essence of the human spirit, not simply the African American struggle, giving I Have Risen the dynamic ability to inspire young people of all backgrounds. Every student in America should know these stories and the lessons they teach about what can be achieved in a life so young and full of obstacles yet determined.

Through collaboration with public and independent schools, after-school and summer enrichment programs, the Read to Lead Program aims to bring the message of I Have Risen and the GOLS leadership philosophy to students across the country. To accompany the book, a set of teaching points has been designed to evaluate each of the four tenets with the goal of motivating students to strive for academic achievement and growth, college admission, and overcoming the obstacles in their environments. Each tenet includes four resources for teaching: learning objectives, applicable essays from I Have Risen, discussion questions, and teaching points.

Gaston Caperton, President of the College Board, recently had this to say about the book:

"I Have Risen is a must read. Deeply moving, these essays dynamically display the strength of the human spirit. The voices of these young people inspire us all to strive for greater heights of success while giving back to the communities that nurture us."
~ Gaston Caperton, President of the College Board

To learn more about the Read to Lead Program and to get your school or program involved, please contact the Ron Brown Scholar Program office at 434-964-1588 (phone) or email Vanessa Evans at vevans@ronbrown.org.

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