Sarai Argueta

City Heights resident, Sarai Argueta, recently participated in our Parent Education Program in November (2025). She cares for a nephew, whom she reads to and talks about in her feedback (included below). The uniqueness of her participation is that, unbeknownst to us, she was a student volunteer many years ago in our Youth Readers program while attending Hoover High school.

Her recent testimonial is very encouraging and highlights the importance of continuing to address the needs of young children and families and the long-term impact of the work that we do:

“Thank you for the workshops, they are really fun and insightful.

They reminded me of when I would go to an elementary school to read to kindergarteners just like my nephew, Angel. It was a bittersweet moment realizing this.

My experience being part of Reading Legacies during high school was eye opening. That was one of the first moments I realized that reading at a young age is crucial. The students were always looking forward to reading and they would pay close attention to what was happening in the story.

Reading Legacies is a great program, engaging with the community while educating about the importance of reading.”

Here is Sarai’s feedback regarding her experience in our Family Education Workshops:

Workshop 1 – Survey Question: Please share any thoughts or expectations that you have about the Reading Legacies parent workshops.

“I really enjoyed the workshop. I learned a lot about why it is good to read with children. It helps me reflect on the fact that we are our children’s first teachers.”

Workshop 2 – Survey Question: Please share any other thoughts or observations that you may have about your experience with reading aloud with your child(ren).

“I have noticed a couple of observations when reading with my nephew. One of which is that he enjoys it more now, before he would see it more of a chore rather than having fun with it. I have also noticed that he uses his imagination more. He stops and thinks about what possible outcomes would happen or guesses what would happen next. He also asks more critical questions, which I enjoy listening and thinking about with him.”

Sarai attended our Parent Education workshops at Rosa Parks Elementary School in City Heights (San Diego, CA). Since graduating from Hoover High School, Sarai attended University of California, Davis and is now completing a veterinary program.

Have you ever observed a family member grow in their joy of reading?>