First Weeks at Heads Up

Sorry to start this off with a cliche, but it really is hard to believe that it has already been two and a half weeks since I started work at the Heads Up! Pediatric Literacy Program. I had the great opportunity to shadow last year's fellow, Christine, for a few days at the start but I am still settling in and trying to find a routine.

Part of the difficulty in finding a routine is that I am always on the go, visiting clinics in either the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island City, or on the Upper East Side where my office is located. This has been a great opportunity to become more acquainted with the power of Google Maps. I am also beginning to realize just how much there is to see in the city. I have a lot of family in New York and visited often both in high school and college. It's only now that I'm beginning to understand how narrow my view was of the city before (and how much it still has to grow).

There are many challenging parts to this position, not least physically sorting through the tens of thousands of brand new books that will be given out to children by pediatricians and volunteers this coming year. Last week while I was at one of the clinics in the Bronx, I was feeling a bit beat down by the number of boxes I moved that day. It was all worth it when one of the nurses marveled to me about she had never seen a kid turn down a book . With schools out for the summer, she was especially grateful that I was there, stocking new books so that kids would have something to read while out of class.

I had the privilege, as I imagine most Princeton alumni did, of having access to a great number of books while growing up. Knowing that I am playing even a small part in providing similar opportunities for kids throughout New York has made this position incredibly rewarding. I am looking forward to learning more about the city (and children's literature!) during this fellowship year and finding more fulfilling moments.