I had the privilege of serving in the first cohort of PAGE college interns in 2010. I lived at Davis Cove Farms in Spring Creek and witnessed all it takes to launch a community-driven, place-based education program. We wrangled permission forms and bus routes; planned book groups and schoolyard plays; and tried to make our students feel as connected and valued at this new program as Madison County residents made us feel in their mountain home. I continued volunteering with PAGE and watched new intern cohorts bring increasingly dynamic skills and energy to the program. 

I've cultivated relationships with many PAGE staff and community neighbors who feel like family 12 summers later. I've watched PAGE shift and grow to include more stories, projects, and dreams than seemed possible in 2010. 

I am honored to chair PAGE's inaugural Board and hope this campaign will strengthen our team's investment in a new chapter for Appalachian girls' engagement and excellence.