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 Angela Gooden
- RIF alum years: '80s
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How long were you in the RIF program? Not exactly sure, but for a few years.
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As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a teacher. I looked up to those who were always there for me, inspired me, and helped me to learn and grow. I wanted to be able to be that person for other children when I got older.
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Now that you are grown up, what do you do? I am the Web Producer for Reading Is Fundamental. I ended up not going to college for education because when I was entering college, everyone kept telling me that there was no money in it and that I would be better off doing something else. Of course, I listened and ended up going into a field with computers and design. As I graduated and began to look for a job, I began to regret my change of heart with my career choice. I considered going back to college again for education. I wanted to feel like I made a difference and was having an impact on people as my teachers did with me when I was a child. This is when I began working for RIF. I found a way to combine my love of helping children with my career choice. Now everyday, I go home at the end of the day feeling that I can help make a difference in the life of a child.
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Favorite childhood book: Flower's for Angela's Mother. This book was one that my mom had sent away for to have personalized for me when I was very young. It was a story about the character Angela, going out and collecting a wildflower bouquet for her mother. I don't remember who the author was or where the book came from, but I still have that book to this day. The fact that my mother had sent away for this book and that is was personalized with my name made this book very special to me.
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What children’s book character are you most like? This is a tough one. I may have to say most like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. I am extremely energetic and can never sit still. Even at home I am bouncing around from one thing to another. Since I left moved out of my parents' house for the first time when I was 18, I have bounced about the country living in various spots and exploring what's out there. I even tend to make up various words and expressions for things as Tigger does.
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Favorite RIF memory: My mother remembers my RIF experiences more than I do, but now that I work for RIF and run across the many things that RIF does or has done in the past, memories come back to me quite often. I do remember our very small school library when I was in middle school doing a "book for ownership" program and being allowed to keep the books that we chose. I also remember our elementary school participating in an event where the entire school gathered outside and sent off helium balloons with our names attached and the finder of the balloon was supposed to write back to us. We then tracked where the responses were mailed back in.
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Do you still have any of your RIF books? No, I wish I did, but I have no idea what happened to them over the years.
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What do you read now? I read a lot. Books, magazines, newspapers, the back of my cereal box. I find it very entertaining and relaxing. I love to curl up under a blanket with a good book.
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