It was 2003 when I was finally placed in a stable home. My biological mother was young, unable to care for a child, and spent her life in and out of prison struggling with addiction, so it wasn’t unusual for me to be tossed from one person to another before I met my forever mom. … Read moreEliminating the Gap Between Hearing and Deaf Community
For the past few years, I have found great joy in helping the special needs students at my school. One of my friends has a form of palsy, and uses a wheelchair to move. A lot of the other students will not talk to him; his speech is difficult to understand at times and his … Read moreMore Opportunities to Interact and Collaborate for Children with Special Needs
What is the worth of a tree? The price tag at the garden center tells you $28.95. The acorn is proof that they’re free, but the desert tells you that a tree is priceless. A tree is more than a standing piece of timber soon to be the paper you may see this writing on … Read moreWhat is the Worth of a Tree?
It’s a scene I’ve been a part of countless times: I’m tutoring a young girl – Mariam – after school on Chicago’s South Side. When she needs a break, we read a graphic novel about a caveman family. She reads the pages on the left, while I read the pages on the right. When we … Read moreLeave a Legacy for Children
Raising a child to be a citizen is an immense challenge. A citizen is someone who has a desire to understand the world, and a commitment to improving it. The global problems of today can seem so large that individuals feel their actions would be meaningless. This apathy cannot be an option forever. Without a … Read moreRaising a Child to be a Citizen
When I first started playing violin, I began by learning the names and functions of each part of the delicate instrument. As a second-grader, the memorization was a daunting task; the only part of the instrument I could consistently recall was the bridge: a small, curved piece of wood whose function is to hold the … Read moreWorking to Bridge the Age Gap
Children hopscotch in front of a crime scene and play tag by a memorial; our children deserve to reach their goals and have their name plastered on billboards rather than obituaries. Follow me home to Santa Rita and you will find the neighborhood with the highest teen-pregnancy rates in the county, the block central to … Read moreThe Children of Santa Rita Need Role Models
Due to my parents work schedules, my siblings and I spent a large part of our summers in daycare . As much as I appreciated and wanted to have a relationship with the adults that I was spending so much time with, a connection never felt possible. They spoke to me as though I couldn’t … Read moreDetermined to Be Kind to Children
Protecting Elders from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and maltreatment is a concern that must be addressed by all. As our elder population increases so do the concerns of how to treat them with respect and courtesy. I will introduce my clans in the Navajo Way. Yá’át’ééh (It is good; welcome; hello) shik’éí dóó shidine’é (my family … Read moreProtecting Elders from Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation, and Maltreatment
We are excited to announce the top 10 winners and 10 honorable mention winners in our 2020 Spring Essay Scholarship Contest. UCA created this scholarship contest for the purpose of encouraging the next generation to think about how to create more caring in the world. The association is excited to award students for promoting a … Read moreAnnouncing Spring 2020 Scholarship Winners