The power of curiosity and contemplation is woven throughout this entire conversation. Amanda did not hesitate to dive into the mystery of what it means to be alive and deeply human. Amanda and I met when our respected non-profits collaborated and partnered to rollout a summer reading program for tiny humans in San Diego. The only encounters we had were in a virtual group setting the spring of 2020 trying to problem solve and adapt an in-person reading program in the midst of a pandemic. Reflecting on folks I would love to have a deeper and more candid conversation with for season 4, I remembered the small glimpses in breakout rooms and ice breakers I shared with Amanda, and I had to reach out. I was stoked when she agreed to chat with me. Amanda Bonds serves as Program Director at Words Alive, providing leadership for a portfolio of programs targeting children, youth, and parents including our Read Aloud Program, Family Literacy Program, and Teen Services Programs. Amanda also manages agency evaluation efforts and represents Words Alive on multiple education-focused community partnerships across the county, such as the Diamond Education Excellent Partnership, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors as chair of the 0-5 Working Group. A 2014 Fellow of the San Diego Leadership Alliance, Amanda earned her master’s degree in literature from the University of California, San Diego prior to joining Words Alive in 2009. Believing in the power of learning, her teaching history includes college-level writing at UCSD, elementary age classrooms in Jamaica and summer programs at the San Antonio Zoo. Before moving west, Amanda served as an AmeriCorps volunteer with the Keeping Austin Housed Coalition, providing advocacy and case management to homeless immigrant families in her native state of Texas. To learn more about Amanda's work with Words Alive check out their website at https://www.wordsalive.org/

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