Best of All – Ana!

Ana walks into the Playhouse humming a Taylor Swift song and efficiently signs herself and her dad in on the iPad. Ana always has a twinkle in her eye and at the drop of a hat we know if given a microphone, she’d be on our stage singing her heart out. However, taking into account her surroundings, Ana is cautious not to interrupt other participants’ learning and goes straight to work in one of our learning labs. Ana has consistently been coming to the Playhouse for several years participating in our Math and Literacy tutoring programs, and as of this January she added Speech Therapy to her busy agenda. This amazing young woman is here THREE times a week working hard and crushing her goals. We are so proud of Ana and all her hard work, and for that reason, we are featuring her as this month’s Best of All! We invited her tutors, speech therapist, and dad to share more about Ana, her growth, and her radiant personality!

Libby, our Speech Language Pathologist shares: “Ana arrives at GiGi’s with a smile on her face.  She responsibly signs herself into her Speech and Language session, kindly greets her therapist, and then eagerly sits down for whatever the day’s therapy session has in store.  A first impression of Ana is her independence, which is essential for the carry-over of skills that are practiced in therapy.  Ana works through speech motor planning, articulation, and expressive language tasks that are presented to her; each task is meticulously chosen to challenge her further while simultaneously engaging her.  Ana asserts herself when something is too challenging (or too boring), and she keeps me on my feet ensuring that her needs are met in a meaningful and fun way.  As a “Swiftie”, it could be said that Ana is in her Speech Era – she is wholeheartedly working through many obstacles to communicating effectively with her peers, her family, and her community in order to share her best self.  And in the words of Taylor Swift, she does it “All Too Well“.

Ana’s dad, Stefan, never hesitates to share the impact GiGi’s Playhouse has on Ana’s life. Whether it’s a new parent, a volunteer, or a staff member – he shares heartfelt gratitude for the programs Ana participates in each time they are at the Playhouse. Below, Stefan shares his sentiments towards the purposeful programming his daughter receives every week.

“GiGi’s Playhouse is Ana’s second home and she is so happy to come every time. She loves to read and do math with her teachers, who are her friends. From the moment she came here, she has made tremendous progress. She is not as stubborn and she is doing her homework by herself. This is not easy all the time but she is trying hard. Her reading and math skills have improved significantly. They taught her how to use her stubbornness towards something worthwhile. Basically, GiGi’s Playhouse is the only place that is helping us with Ana. There may be some government or state programs, but if both parents are working, more than likely, you will not qualify for any of them. Everything is so expensive and the help we get from GiGi’s Playhouse is priceless. If you want to come and make friends and learn at the same time, this is the perfect place.”

We invited our Math Coordinator and previous tutor for Ana, Rossalyn, to sing the praises of the Amazing Ana! Rossalyn shares: “Ana has always been a joy to work with! She works hard during each session with great concentration, while also including a little playfulness! I enjoyed seeing Ana bloom with her confidence in math! After each math lesson, we would have a dance party with a Taylor Swift song and she would put just as much effort into singing along as she would with her math! A great example of “work hard, play hard!” Keep up the great work Ana!”

When looking for the next math tutor for Ana, we knew she would flourish with someone her age. Someone she could connect with and become friends with. That person became Flannery, a high school student who has volunteered at the Playhouse for several years. Flannery is an individual who jumps right in to help others and creates opportunities for our participants to achieve their Best of All. Which is exactly what she is doing with Ana. Since Flannery has been working with Ana for two tutoring sessions, we invited her to share about Ana’s growth. Flannery shares: “Ana has worked so hard on adding and subtracting over the past few months that I have been working with her in math!  The development of her confidence in these skills has been an amazing process to experience.  She has the greatest smile that brightens my day every Wednesday afternoon when we meet.  Keep up the great work Ana!”

Ana, thank you for demonstrating your “Best of All” each time you set foot in the Playhouse. You inspire all of us to work harder, to keep growing, and to proudly sing the songs in our hearts.