Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams has learned about cultural diversity firsthand.

The talented 14-year-old has combined her love of writing and drawing to create a children's book entitled The Best of Friends..

Based on research she conducted on four cultures - African American , Native American , Hmong and Hispanic - and backed by a $500 grant from the WCATY Young Scholar Project Program , Williams wrote and illustrated a book about the similarities and differences among them.

Actually I discovered that people in two of the cultures - Hmong and Native American - are trying to preserve their heritage , while the other two - Hispanic and African American - are more interested in assimilating into our American culture , Williams said.But family seems to be important in all four..

Williams was an 8th grader at Meyer Middle School when she was approached by gifted and talented coordinator Judy Freund about applying for the grant.Only students in 7th and 8th grades and those who had high PSAT scores qualified.

Once Williams learned she was one of 24 students in Wisconsin to win a grant , she began planning her project.She decided to focus on cultural diversity.

In 6th grade I had written a children's book and did the illustrations myself , Williams said.It was a project assigned by Mrs. ( Bobbie ) Anderson in 6 Gold House ( at Meyer Middle School ).I titled it 'Hello' and geared it for students at the 2nd grade level.Basically , I looked up how to say 'hello' in several different languages - English , French , German , Mexican , Malaysian , Japanese , and Indian.After I finished it , I donated it to a school in the Twin Cities..

For the new project , Williams asked Linda Alvarez of the UW-River Falls Academic Success Center to be her mentor.
...
We went to a Sioux pow-wow near Shakopee , Williams said.We went to an alternative theatre in Minneapolis that was featuring a Native American play.We visited a Hispanic neighborhood along Roberts Street in St. Paul , and we went to a Hmong Art Exhibit at the Landmark Center in St. Paul..

At the same time , Williams began interviewing 13 people in the River Falls area who represented each of the cultural groups she wanted to study.She asked about family traditions , holiday customs , religious beliefs and how long they had lived in the United States.

I asked them each 9 questions , Williams said.Most of the interviews I did in person and I talked to people of various ages..

Alvarez said helping Williams on the project was a joyful experience.
...
Ashley is really a remarkable young woman , Alvarez said.
...
Once the interviews were completed , Williams began writing the text and sketching the illustrations.She was able to finish all 14 drawings , plus the cover illustration , before school resumed in August.

I used colored pencils for the drawings , Williams said.I probably spent about a day on each one..

She took her completed manuscript to Kathy Straub , owner of Paper Concepts in River Falls.There , 14 copies of the soft-cover book were assembled and bound.

On Oct. 2 , Williams traveled to Madison to present her findings and do a dramatic reading from her book at the WCATY Conference.She was accompanied by her parents and Alvarez.

Williams comes from a highly educated family.Her father , Ian , is a geology professor at UW-RF.Her mother , Lesley , is a teacher for students with learning disabilities at River Falls High School.She also has a 10-year-old brother , Tristan , a 5th-grader at Rocky Branch Elementary School.

Williams attended Rocky Branch Elementary School before entering Meyer Middle School.This term she is a freshman at the high school.She enjoys figure skating and is active in Odyssey of the Mind , the River Falls High School Drama Club and forensics.Recently she performed in the student-written production Life : Lightly Salted..

She hopes to distribute her book on cultural diversity to the local elementary schools and at the River Falls Public Library.

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©1999 River Falls Journal

Ashley Williams has learned about cultural diversity firsthand.

The talented 14-year-old has combined her love of writing and drawing to create a children's book entitled The Best of Friends..

Based on research she conducted on four cultures - African American , Native American , Hmong and Hispanic - and backed by a $ 500 grant from the WCATY Young Scholar Project Program , Williams wrote and illustrated a book about the similarities and differences among them.

Actually I discovered that people in two of the cultures - Hmong and Native American - are trying to preserve their heritage , while the other two - Hispanic and African American - are more interested in assimilating into our American culture , Williams said.But family seems to be important in all four..

Williams was an 8th grader at Meyer Middle School when she was approached by gifted and talented coordinator Judy Freund about applying for the grant.Only students in 7th and 8th grades and those who had high PSAT scores qualified.

...
Once Williams learned she was one of 24 students in Wisconsin to win a grant , she began planning her project.She decided to focus on cultural diversity.

In 6th grade I had written a children's book and did the illustrations myself , Williams said.It was a project assigned by Mrs. ( Bobbie ) Anderson in 6 Gold House ( at Meyer Middle School ) .I titled it Hello' and geared it for students at the 2nd grade level.Basically , I looked up how to say hello' in several different languages - English , French , German , Mexican , Malaysian , Japanese , and Indian.After I finished it , I donated it to a school in the Twin Cities..

...
At the same time , Williams began interviewing 13 people in the River Falls area who represented each of the cultural groups she wanted to study.She asked about family traditions , holiday customs , religious beliefs and how long they had lived in the United States.

I asked them each 9 questions , Williams said.Most of the interviews I did in person and I talked to people of various ages..

Alvarez said helping Williams on the project was a joyful experience.
...
Ashley is really a remarkable young woman , Alvarez said.She has a strong commitment to diversity issues and a keen interest in world travel and how intercultural communities work.

She had an idea about a book that would speak to children in grades 1-3 , Alvarez continued.She wanted to demonstrate how people of different cultures can live together and celebrate their differences.She read a huge amount of materials , did interviews and then synthesized it to create a script describing what she had learned.After that she illustrated what her script described..
...
Once the interviews were completed , Williams began writing the text and sketching the illustrations.She was able to finish all 14 drawings , plus the cover illustration , before school resumed in August.

I used colored pencils for the drawings , Williams said.I probably spent about a day on each one..

She took her completed manuscript to Kathy Straub , owner of Paper Concepts in River Falls.There , 14 copies of the soft-cover book were assembled and bound.

...
2 , Williams traveled to Madison to present her findings and do a dramatic reading from her book at the WCATY Conference.She was accompanied by her parents and Alvarez.

Williams comes from a highly educated family.Her father , Ian , is a geology professor at UW-RF.Her mother , Lesley , is a teacher for students with learning disabilities at River Falls High School.She also has a 10-year-old brother , Tristan , a 5th-grader at Rocky Branch Elementary School.

Williams attended Rocky Branch Elementary School before entering Meyer Middle School.This term she is a freshman at the high school.She enjoys figure skating and is active in Odyssey of the Mind , the River Falls High School Drama Club and forensics.Recently she performed in the student-written production Life : Lightly Salted..

She hopes to distribute her book on cultural diversity to the local elementary schools and at the River Falls Public Library.

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