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| Wesley Sanders | |
Wesley Sanders, a bookseller at Boogie Down Books, Bronx, N.Y., is the recipient of this year's New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Diversity Scholarship to Winter Institute. Learning to read and write, which was a struggle, changed his life--and makes him want to attend WI to learn more about bookselling and get tips on how to reach more people to get them to fall in love with reading as he did.
"I struggled with reading," said Sanders, who began his career as a bookseller last year. "I could not read or write. Not being able to read had a significant impact on my personal development. I could not effectively communicate, and I had low self-esteem. I made it my mission, with the help of my parents and teachers, to learn how to understand the written word. Learning how to read changed my life. I was confident in myself and my ability. I was finally doing well in school, and I fell in love with books. After learning how to read, I became so obsessed with reading that I snatched anything I could get my hands on."