After spending yet another day working with a Laotian community group on a grant application to get funds to help a diverse range of people in California sign up for health insurance as part of our nation’s health reform, I lay down for a little evening rest.

Typically, that means picking up something to read, so I grabbed my BAM and settled in for a relaxing break. But “relaxing” is not exactly the response I had to the cover article on Sonja Brookins Santelises ’89 and her work with kids in the Baltimore schools (“Children’s Crusader,” January/February). Holy smokes, she is inspiring! The article was thrilling! I’m going to make copies and share them with friends (and friends’ kids) and suggest they read this story about incorporating social justice principles into their professional lives.
Reading about my fellow Brownie’s big contribution in education makes me proud of being a Brown graduate. Again.

John Troidl ’76
Davis, Calif.
johnjtroidl@gmail.com

I appreciated the article on the inspiring, driven Sonja Brookins Santelises ’89. However, I found your caption on the photo with the article to be amusing. While it praises Santelises’s work in the education field and her focus on students, the photo shows a crisp image of Santelises while the children appear blurry and out of focus. It seems that it is quite a challenge for adults to focus on these children.

Allyson Goose ’06 MAT
Cambridge, Mass.