“It’s okay to be a glow stick, sometimes we need to break before we shine” is one of Connecticut Alpha Kaitlin Jenkins’ favorite quotes. From the moment you meet her, she welcomes you with a smile, emotes positivity and lights up the area around her. By watching her interactions with her sisters, I can tell she is one of the most valued senior members of her chapter.

Kaitlin says Pi Beta Phi was her choice from the beginning because she loved our Read>Lead>Achieve philanthropic project. She has always had a love for reading. It may have been her mom reading to her every day or the summers spent reading on a rock outside of her house.

Now, at the University of Connecticut (UConn), Kaitlin has brought that passion into studying two things she loves: English and Elementary Education. As a future teacher, Kaitlin is interested in how children in need can experience the world through reading as well as the social-emotional development of students through reading. Something Kaitlin wants to focus on is leadership and diversity including how to support minority teachers on campus. Kaitlin makes it a focus to remind people that teachers are not babysitters. “We’re entrusted with helping your kids grow up to be best human beings possible,” she said.

Through her desire to research reading and literacy selection in the classroom, Kaitlin has had two research projects granted funding. The UConn imagine/develop/engage/apply (IDEA) Grant awards funding to support student-designed and student-led Kaitlin’s project, “Empathy in Young Adult versus Classical Literature: An Analysis of Teachers’ Choices,” received $4,000. The project will explore how students develop empathy through using classic literature versus young adult literature in the classroom. In layman’s terms, Kaitlin wants to find a place for young adult literature in the classroom.

The second research project focuses on multicultural literature. Kaitlin wants to show the diversity of our nation and world to our students. And she wants to give literature to students that represent their cultures – something very important to Kaitlin because of her own experiences. Kaitlin was born in Hawaii, but her family moved to Washington when she young. Her parents knew they wanted to keep their Hawaiian heritage strong with their children, so they bought books in Hawaii written by Hawaiian authors or whose main characters were Hawaiian in order to share their heritage and cultural background.

“Reading and books gives you so many more opportunities to see things beyond the path you’re on,” says Kaitlin. “It is a good avenue to develop socially when you interact with characters.” Kaitlin’s love for reading has carried over into a passion for teaching others and I cannot wait to see where the future will bring her – maybe to a classroom near you!