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Miss Chisholm Trail

At just 25 years old, Madi Franquiz stood on the floor of the United Nations 77th General Assembly to advocate for kids who missed the same benchmark as her: the 3rd Grade Literacy Benchmark. Today, Madi has spoken to over 40,000 people worldwide, served as a U.S. Delegate at the World Literacy Summit, and delivered a keynote address at Oxford University. She uses her platform as a titleholder for the Miss America Organization to advocate for her community service initiative: Authoring Life: A Literacy Initiative. 

 

Madi is the youngest founding member of the World Literacy Taskforce, and the Texas State Ambassador for the World Literacy Foundation.

My Platform: Authoring Life

The “3rd Grade Benchmark,” is indicative of future success a child will have in school. It was a benchmark that I missed. Living in poverty during my 2nd grade year, we struggled with access to basic necessities of life, including books. I never dreamed that someone like me could one day attend college, much less write a book, or compete for Miss Texas. My father came into this country with a Spanish-English dictionary and struggled to learn English as a second language. The literacy journey happened generationally for my family, but now I am proud to say I am living the American dream.

 

Authoring Life expands upon work that began in an elementary classroom in 2019 to address the rising illiteracy rates in the state of Texas. Today, only four out of ten Texas students can read at their grade level by third grade. Low-income, students of color, and English language learners struggle even more. It’s inexcusable. It’s also changeable. Research shows that early intervention is key to ending the epidemic of illiteracy. Madi is on a mission to ensure that every child, regardless of zip code, has the opportunity to acquire the literacy skills and books they need to become all they were created to be.

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My Nonprofit: 
Authoring Life

Authoring Life works to eradicate illiteracy through early intervention so that every child has the opportunity to write the story they want to read.

Authoring Life operates as a 501(c)3 nonprofit under the umbrella of the Women's Nonprofit Alliance.

Through books, literacy resources, scholarships, and educational opportunities, Authoring Life is on a mission to ensure that every child, regardless of zip code, has the opportunity to acquire literacy skills and books to become who they were created to be. 

Authoring Life currently aids children from 17 different countries, and 13 U.S. States. 

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