Volunteer of the Month: March 2015

Congrats to our March Volunteer of the Month, Kurston Melton! Read our interview with Kurston here:

What first brought you to Big Class? 
 I first heard about Big Class two years ago at the Culture Collision. I took a few postcards home and have them hanging on my fridge.  
What keeps you coming back?
Being able to share my love and excitement for writing. I started writing poetry and non-fiction in elementary school for fun. Then a summer at Writing Camp sparked my interest even more. As I got older I stopped writing less and less until I didn’t at all except for school papers. After learning about Big Class the same excitement for writing came back and well…here I am. 
What are some skills you have that help you out at Big Class?
Creativity. Sense of humor. Enthusiasm. Love for working with kids. Patience. 
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced at Big Class?
Finding more time in my schedule to volunteer more often. 
What are some great pieces of writing you’ve helped with? Tell us the story behind them if you can.
When I first started volunteering I helped with the Basquiat workshop. It was beautiful watching the kids learn about art and the creative process as well as relating visual arts to film and writing. I also helped create the Robots book. That was a really fun project because I also wrote a piece that my boyfriend illustrated. Look forward to reading it! 
What are you up to when you’re not volunteering with us?
I blog for a local publication, INVADE. I’m also the Account Manager for Where Y’art, a local online art community. I’ve also been helping the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild, an amazing non-profit that is working to preserve traditional craftsmanship so essential to New Orleans culture. And when I’m not doing all that I’m working on a few creative endeavors.