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Meet the Writer: Marium, Winner of GGAB’s 2nd Essay Scholarship

Updated: Mar 25

Spring 2025


At GGAB’s 2nd Essay Scholarship Awards in El Paso, Marium Zahra, a high school junior and valedictorian candidate at the Young Women's STEM Academy, took home the top honor. Her essay, The Importance of Pre-Literacy in The Age of Economics, highlighted the power of early literacy and the urgent need for book accessibility in low-income communities.


Marium emphasized that children who are not proficient in reading by 3rd grade are less likely to graduate high school, and 61% of low-income families have no books at home, facts that reinforce GGAB’s mission to provide children with the resources they need to succeed. Drawing from her own experiences growing up below the poverty line, she wrote,

“Every student deserves access to books,”

Beyond her essay, Marium is a nationally recognized journalist with bylines in NPR, The Nation, and Business Insider. She is also a youth lawyer for El Paso Municipal Teen Court, a political campaign organizer, an award-winning artist and poet, and a PBS Student Reporting Labs Youth Advisory Council member.

“I went from being a young girl below the poverty line reading stories to the one telling them,”

With her commitment to education, storytelling, and advocacy, Marium’s story is just beginning!




Scholarship Overview

 

This scholarship awarded a $200 Barnes & Noble gift card to one exceptional student in grades 9-12 who demonstrated a passion for reading and pre-literacy.


Applicants submitted a 500-1000 word essay on "The Importance of Pre-Literacy in the Age of Electronics," discussing the role of printed books in fostering children's imagination over electronic devices and the importance of GGAB's mission.


 

United, we can bridge the divide in book access.

 

Your investment directly supports our mission to provide quality books to children who need them the most and empower children with the tools for success.


 

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