No Math, I Promise!
No Math, I Promise!
Life@GWN with Lauren Kiel
Next up, two-time Girls Write Now mentor Lauren Kiel. In this edition of Life@GWN, we introduce her as coach, confidante and champion #storygrower. Lauren is proof positive that The Stories Change Minds. Get to know her in her own words.
How I Became Involved with Girls Write Now
I joined Girls Write Now as a mentor in 2018. My then-boyfriend (now husband!) had volunteered for years with a math tutoring and mentorship organization and took me to one of his Sunday morning tutoring sessions. While no one would want me to teach them math, it inspired me to look for an organization where I could do something similar in what I do know--writing--and thankfully I found Girls Write Now.
Learning From My Mentees
During my time with Girls Write Now, I have had the pleasure of working with two different mentees, Saony Castillo and Rachel Kelly. Both of my mentees have been passionate about film, and as someone with more of a writing and journalism background, it was an exciting challenge for me to work with them both on writing screenplays and making films. They've both inspired me deeply and taught me so much through their creativity, determination, and resilience.
In addition to writing together in coffee shops, Saony and I also spent our sessions exploring new parts of New York together, from the Cloisters to K-Town. Rachel and I were partnered together throughout Covid, and I even starred in multiple of her short films via Zoom! You can see me featured in the promo image for her short film "Nothing is Normal," where I played a very serious, no-nonsense teacher named Ms. Scott.
Passionate about Philanthropy & Giving? Yeah, and Here's Why You Should Be as Well
Every one of us owes so much to those who have helped us along the way. I wouldn't be where I am today without the teachers, mentors, and others who invested their time, energy, and effort into me. I hope through my involvement with Girls Write Now to be able to pay some of that forward by helping to invest in others.
Your Turn. Get Excited
I have sung the praises of Girls Write Now to countless people over the last five years. I will never forget one of my earliest GWN workshops, when we studied poetry and heard from a guest speaker who worked as a copywriter in advertising - a job centered around the creative and melodic use of words in ways analogous to poetry. The combination of learning creative expression while also helping mentees to see how they can turn their passions for writing into careers highlighted for me what makes this organization so valuable and important.