Tiffany Zapico is troubled by the fact that 20 percent of high school graduates cannot read their own diplomas. Even worse, about 21 percent of adults in the U.S. read below a fifth grade level.
“As a teacher myself,” says Zapico, “I really knew the importance of students learning how to read and providing professional development for teachers and school staff members.”
After working in the nonprofit sector for years, Zapico is now the executive director of The Literacy Trust. This nonprofit works to lower illiteracy rates through its primary program, called Reading Rescue. The program’s one-on-one tutoring has been proven to increase literacy through its daily 30-minute sessions.
Founders: Nora Hoover
Year founded: 1993
Employees: 8 people
Where we’re based: WeWork Penn Station
Moment of inspiration: “When I was a teacher, I saw what little resourses teachers and staff members had and how that impacted the students,” says Zapico.
Biggest hurdle: “Navigating the challenges each community faces has been difficult,” says Zapico. “We’re primarily in disadvantaged communities, and there’s a lot of outside factors our students and staff members face. So you have to be sensitive to that. We don’t want that to hold us back from students’ success.”
How we want to change the world: “Our vision is that we change the world by empowering students to be able to read and become literate,” says Zapico. “The ability to read should be a basic human right.”