Uploaded June 2017 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
These are true stories of the women in our world. Want more? Subscribe to #LivesofWomen, a new intimate portrait series from the creators of WIGS: bit.ly/LoWWatch
"There was this kid who couldn’t read at the beginning of the year, and his name was Juan. I’ll never forget.
He was the kid in the group who just didn’t grasp. He was stubborn. He didn’t want to read at first because I think it was more ‘I’m scared that I’m gonna fail.’ So I would sit with him, just him.
Within maybe 6 months, he was reading on his own and I remember that day, he just read. He sat there with the paper in front of him, and he read. And he read a paragraph and he looked at me with tears in his eyes and I had tears in my eyes and we cried. That’s when I really knew that I should teach because the feeling was so incredible to just realize that I may have changed somebody’s life.
They asked me, ‘What do you want, Mom, for your birthday?’ I want an educated child, and I don’t want you to ever stop getting educated. Be a lifelong learner."
- Dorcia W., #LivesofWomen
These are true stories of the women in our world. Want more? Subscribe to #LivesofWomen, a new intimate portrait series from the creators of WIGS: bit.ly/LoWWatch
"There was this kid who couldn’t read at the beginning of the year, and his name was Juan. I’ll never forget.
He was the kid in the group who just didn’t grasp. He was stubborn. He didn’t want to read at first because I think it was more ‘I’m scared that I’m gonna fail.’ So I would sit with him, just him.
Within maybe 6 months, he was reading on his own and I remember that day, he just read. He sat there with the paper in front of him, and he read. And he read a paragraph and he looked at me with tears in his eyes and I had tears in my eyes and we cried. That’s when I really knew that I should teach because the feeling was so incredible to just realize that I may have changed somebody’s life.
They asked me, ‘What do you want, Mom, for your birthday?’ I want an educated child, and I don’t want you to ever stop getting educated. Be a lifelong learner."
- Dorcia W., #LivesofWomen
