Doctoral Student Receives VerizonReads Grant

Patricia Durham, a doctoral student in the College of Education’s Department and Curriculum and Instruction, has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the VerizonReads Foundation to fund a R.O.A.D. (Read One a Day) literacy outreach program to promote reading comprehension and increase motivation for middle school students. The program will run from March through May and is renewable for up to three years.

As part of the R.O.A.D. program, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi undergraduate students will work with approximately 200 fifth graders in the Ingleside Independent School District. During their visits, the University students will hold literacy sessions, book talks, and a reading symposium. Each participating fifth grader will receive seven books, bookmarks and a T-shirt. Following completion of the program, students will be honored at a banquet and graduation ceremony at A&M-Corpus Christi.

Literacy is one of the Verizon Foundation’s major funding priorities,” said Steve Banta, Verizon Southwest Region president. “This program is a wonderful example of serving the communities literacy needs, and Verizon is pleased to partner with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi through this grant.”