Meredith Davis graduated from Berkner High School after attending Apollo Junior High and Yale Elementary. About a decade ago, she started work on book about the true story of a young girl named Rebeka – “Her Own Two Feet: A Rwandan Girl’s Brave Fight to Walk.”
The book was a 2020 NAACP Image Awards Nominee, a 2020 notable Social Studies trade book for young people, the 2020 nonfiction children’s book of the year by World Magazine, and a nominee for the Lamplighter Award among other recognitions and awards.
When RISD elementary campuses held Kindness Week in February, Meredith visited nearly 20 schools to share the tale. The visits were sponsored by Altrusa International, which also donated copies of the book for each RISD elementary school library.
“It was wonderful for our RISD Academy students to have the opportunity make the connection to an author on campus,” Principal Christine Gibson said. “Our scholars are learning that writing is such a personal process. During Meredith’s talk, they could see how a person’s experiences can be transformed into a narrative text and then shared with excitement. It brings to life that each of our stories have meaning and purpose.”
