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Rania Zuri

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Rania Zuri
NationalityUnited States States of America
EducationStanford University
Alma materMorgantown High School
Organization(s)The LiTEArary Society, Inc.
AwardsForbes 30 Under 30
Websitewww.LiTEArarySociety.org

Rania Zuri is an American advocate for early childhood literacy and works to end book deserts for disadvantaged children.[1] She is the founder and CEO of The LiTEArary Society and is the youngest author of a United States Senate Resolution in U.S. history.[2]

The LiTEArary Society

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At age 13, Rania Zuri founded The LiTEArary Society, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission of ending book deserts for disadvantaged preschool children.[3] She learned about book deserts from a combination of her grandfather growing up in a book desert and after setting up a small library for young girls which inspired her to turn her middle school book club into The LiTEArary Society.[4]

In 2022, The LiTEArary Society expanded and completed a project called the West Virginia Head Start Road tour[5] where a brand-new, Scholastic book was donated to every enrolled child in Head Start in West Virginia, 6,778 books in total. Rania personally travelled across West Virginia to each Head Start center to drop off the books for the children.[6][7]

For her work with The LiTEArary Society, Rania Zuri has been featured on many national media sources, including Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Forbes, Teen Vogue, Fox News, NPR, The Washington Post and more.[8][9] The LiTEArary Society has sponsorships and partnerships with National Head Start, Scholastic, Pilot Pens, Hershey's, Starbucks, and others.[10]

As of October 2023, The LiTEArary Society has donated over $326,000 worth of brand-new books to over 28,000 disadvantaged preschool children in Head Start programs in all 50 states.[2][11]

U.S. Senate Resolution

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In October 2023, Rania became the youngest author of a U.S. Senate Resolution in history.[2] She authored a bipartisan U.S. Senate Resolution for the first National Early Childhood Literacy Awareness Day on October 20 to bring awareness to early childhood literacy issues.[12] The U.S. Senate resolution for this commemorative day is sponsored by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Susan Collins, Senator Shelley Moore Capito, and Senator Angus King.[12] The resolution "unanimously" passed in the U.S. Senate in October 2023.[13]

Prior to becoming a U.S. Senate Resolution, Rania established National Early Childhood Literacy Awareness Day as a West Virginia State proclamation by Governor Jim Justice in July 2023.[14]

Journalism

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Rania wrote a 2022 article for Teen Vogue about book deserts and literacy.[15] In August 2022, she also wrote an opinion piece about education and standardized testing for NBC News Online.[16]

Following the passing of the U.S. Senate Resolution she authored, she wrote another op-ed for Teen Vogue about literacy rates and ending book deserts through policy.[17]

Public Speaking

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Rania has given a TEDx Talk about book deserts with over 40,000 views on Youtube and TED.com combined.[18][19][20] She also was a guest on NPR's Inside Appalachia and NPR's 1A radio show.[21][22]

Recognitions and accolades

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On International Day of the Girl in 2023, Rania was honored at the White House by First Lady Jill Biden as a "Girl Leading Change".[10] Rania Zuri is also a Coca-Cola Scholar (2023), a recipient of the George H. W. Point of Light Award, and a winner of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.[23][24][25][26] In 2022, Forbes named her as one of "Six Teens Making the World a Better Place."[7]

In 2023, Rania received The Diana Award, one of the most prestigious international accolades a young person (ages 8 to 25) can receive for social or humanitarian work.[27] During the online Diana Award Ceremony, Rania was one of only 3 recipients out of the 189 global recipients to be introduced by Prince Harry.[28]

In June 2022, Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia honored Rania with the Distinguished Mountaineer Award,[29] the highest honor that is given to one or two WV citizens per year.[30][29]

In November 2023, Rania was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Education category and on the Youngest list.[31][32][33]

References

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  1. ^ "What is a book desert? When this high schooler found out, she started a charity to end them". TODAY.com. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  2. ^ a b c Vitasek, Kate. "18-Year-Old Makes History With US Senate Resolution To Help End Book Deserts". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  3. ^ America, Good Morning. "Surprise for high school student working to end book deserts". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  4. ^ Genovese, Daniella (2022-05-25). "West Virginia high schooler donates books to children in need across the state". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  5. ^ "West Virginia Head Start Road Tour". LiTEArary Society.
  6. ^ "Surprise for high school student working to end book deserts". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  7. ^ a b Fox, MeiMei. "6 Teens Who Make The World A Better Place". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  8. ^ "Press". LiTEArary Society. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  9. ^ "Jill Biden recognizes 15 young women from 13 states for advocacy to improve their communities". Washington Post. 2023-10-11. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  10. ^ a b "First Lady Jill Biden Announces "Girls Leading Change" Honorees". The White House. 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  11. ^ "Nightly News: Kids Edition (June 23, 2022)". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  12. ^ a b "Manchin, Capito, King, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Dedicating Today As National Early Childhood Literacy Awareness Day". U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  13. ^ "Collins, King Cosponsor Resolution Recognizing National Early Childhood Literacy Awareness Day |". www.king.senate.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  14. ^ Schulz, Chris (2023-10-19). "Justice Highlights Literacy Awareness Day Friday". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  15. ^ "Why I Gave Books to Nearly 7,000 Preschoolers". Teen Vogue. 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  16. ^ "Opinion | What the movement to scrap the SAT misses about the reality of high school". NBC News. 2022-08-27. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  17. ^ "Children's Literacy Rates Are Falling, and Book Deserts Aren't Helping". Teen Vogue. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  18. ^ Zuri, Rania (May 19, 2022). "Eliminating Book Deserts, One Book at a Time" – via www.ted.com.
  19. ^ "Eliminating Book Deserts, One Book at a Time | Rania Zuri | TEDxWVU" – via www.youtube.com.
  20. ^ Eliminating Book Deserts, One Book at a Time | Rania Zuri | TEDxWVU, retrieved 2023-10-21
  21. ^ Adams, Mason (2023-02-03). "High School Student Uses Music, Nonprofit To Raise W.Va. Literacy Rates". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  22. ^ "The real differences between the generations". 1A. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  23. ^ "Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes". Barron Prize.
  24. ^ "Get to know the 2023 class of Coca-Cola Scholars". Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  25. ^ "Teen Inspired to Promote Reading Among Children in Book Deserts". Points of Light. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  26. ^ "2023 Winners". Barron Prize. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  27. ^ Bissett, Jim (2023-07-01). "Recent MHS grad Rania Zuri is now royality[sic] (officially) in the book world". Dominion Post. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  28. ^ "Prince Harry". LiTEArary Society. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  29. ^ a b https://governor.wv.gov/Documents/2022%20Documents/060222-Rania-Zuri-Distinguished-Mountaineer.pdf
  30. ^ "Gary Casto Honored with 'Distinguished Mountaineer' Award at Childhood Church". May 14, 2019.
  31. ^ "Rania Zuri". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  32. ^ "Forbes 30 Under 30 2024: Education". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
  33. ^ "Forbes 30 Under 30 2024: Youngest". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
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