Teen wants to give children the same support that StoryTent gave her

Meet Linh, a 15-year-old sophomore at PatricK Henry High School. Born in Vietnam, Linh moved to San Diego with her mom when she was little.

Linh was about nine-years-old when she started coming to the City Heights StoryTent every Saturday. When there weren't enough volunteers, Linh often volunteered to read to younger children. Five years later, Linh is still linvolved with Traveling Stories. We’re so excited that she has decided to become a mentor for the new Virtual StoryTent program.

Linh is in 2 AP classes and dreams of becoming a pharmacist when she grows up. She made some time to catch up with us this week…. here’s what she said about volunteering:

TS: What made you want to volunteer with Traveling Stories and the new Virtual StoryTent program?

L: I want to volunteer with Traveling Stories because I want to give back to the community that gave me so much. I was once a reader at the StoryTent and the experience and knowledge that I gained are indispensable. I want to help other kids younger than me to fall in love with reading and understand that it shouldn’t just be an assignment given by your teachers. It’s something fantastic that could help you learn and be entertained at the same time.

TS: In what way has the StoryTent and Traveling Stories impacted your life?

L: The physical StoryTent variously impacted my life. I loved reading since I was young. Coming to the Tent and receiving prizes for the reading that I did was an incentive that made reading a lot more attractive. It let me make friends with people older than me. As well as allowed me t become more comfortable with the way that I see things around me.

To become a mentor for the Virtual StoryTent program, visit the volunteer page on our website: https://www.travelingstories.org/volunteer