New Worlds Reading Initiative Puts Tens of Thousands of Books in Students Hands
NASA aerospace engineer Joan Melendez Misner thanks books for helping her reach for the stars.
“As a kid, reading “The Magic School Bus” and similar books like “Fly Guy and the Alienzz” helped spark my curiosity for space and ultimately contributed to my career,” the Viera resident said.
When statewide program New Worlds Reading Initiative was looking for professionals with the passion to empower kids to read, Melendez Misner was a shoe-in.
“Joan’s inspiring and bright personality is infectious, as evidenced by her 159K+ social media supporters who are drawn to her educational STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) content and her motivational messages,” said Dr. Shaunte Duggins, assistant director for the Initiative.
During National Reading Month this March, Melendez Misner was one of three professionals selected for the Initiative’s “Reading Shapes Passions” content series, which follows 10-year-old reporter Saoirse Elizabeth from Tampa as she provides an inside look at how reading encouraged Melendez Misner, as well as two other professionals — an author and a vet tech — to follow their dreams. Videos were posted on New Worlds Reading’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels.
Melendez Misner, who has worked at Kennedy Space Center for the last three years, has nurtured a robust social media following on Instagram and TikTok for a purpose.
“Through social media, I contribute to Latino representation in the U.S., help empower minorities to follow STEM career paths and further motivate STEM students to persevere in their journey,” she said.
She is pumped to continue her crusade for reading through New Worlds Reading.
“It’s so rewarding to be able to share my story in the hopes of reaching the next generation of engineers,” she said.
In Brevard County, 4,877 students are enrolled in New Worlds Reading, which was launched in 2021 after receiving bipartisan support in the Florida Legislature. The program was created to address the fact that more than half a million eligible students in kindergarten through fifth grade are not reading at grade level.
“New Worlds Reading Initiative was conceived as the first-of-its-kind, free statewide program committed to reading confidence and fostering a love or reading for students across the state,” Duggins said.
To date, more than 200,000 students have enrolled. Any Florida public or district-sponsored charter school students in grades K to 5 who are not year reading on grade level are eligible.
Each month during the school year, enrolled children receive a free book tailored to their interests, along with resources and activities for caregivers and children to engage with books together to bolster literacy skills, build reading confidence and foster a lifelong love of reading. An additional three bonus books are also sent their way.
Books are selected in collaboration with the Florida Department of Education and available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and Braille.
Thus far, more than 2 million books have been shipped statewide — 68,366 of these to Space Coast students. Melendez Misner is confident these books will open young minds to the wonderful career opportunities that await.
“New Worlds Reading is helping students shape interests,” she said.
For more information or to enroll a student in the program, visit newworldsreading.com.
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