“Kids think far deeper than you know.”

Evangeline Blair Smith

Program Director, Mighty Rivera Rec Center, 5th & Allegheny

Where I grew up: Germantown

College: Temple University

One of my biggest heroes is: My parents because I continue to learn how to help make the world better by watching them.

Favorite author: Lynn Reid Banks

Last book I read: “Weeds: In Defense of Nature’s  Most Unloved Plants,” by Richard Mabey.

Person who inspired me to appreciate writing; My grandmother, Mary Rose, who read to me until I could write. She created the changes she wanted to see in the world by writing letters her whole life and fearlessly tried her hand at new kinds of writing into her old age.

Most important thing to always remember when teaching kids: They have lots more to say than people think and they’re thinking far deeper than you know.