Beyond Literacy (BeLit)
Title: Bridging the Gaps: Health and Literacy Collaboration
Student Interns:
Wendy Chavez
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
Agnes Duch
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
Academic Preceptor:
Dalmacio Dennis Flores, PhD, ACRN, FAAN
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
Community Preceptor:
Mercy Howard
Student Support Coordinator, Beyond Literacy
Community Site:
Beyond Literacy (BeLit) opens doors for adults and families by using the power of literacy to transform lives. As Philadelphia’s largest literacy organization, BeLit offers free, high-quality education to help learners strengthen their skills in reading, writing, math, English language, digital tools, and job readiness. Its programs guide students from education to employment, supporting their growth as learners, active community members, and future professionals.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns worked with Beyond Literacy (BeLit) on its West and Center City Philadelphia campuses to support the mission of improving adult literacy. Their focus was on health literacy and promotion, especially around topics such as cardiovascular health, oral hygiene, and stress management. Together, the interns created and delivered bilingual presentations, interactive activities, and handouts tailored to BeLit’s adult learners. As a final product, they compiled a digital folder of health education resources for the sites to use beyond their time there.
Reflections
“When we began our placement at Beyond Literacy, we felt genuinely welcomed and came to appreciate the crucial role BeLit plays in the community. Our time there offered a closer look at how nonprofit organizations operate and revealed the very real barriers (economic, educational, and systemic) that many people face when trying to access care. Additionally, working with our community preceptor, Mercy, and our co-intern from Vanderbilt exposed us to new ideas for facilitating health education sessions on topics that are often overlooked. Alongside the GED and ESL teachers, we learned how interdisciplinary teamwork can expand the reach and relevance of health interventions. This experience reshaped our understanding of community care. We realized that making an impact doesn’t require a perfect system or place — just presence, consistency, and the willingness to listen. Through our engagement with BeLit learners, many of whom became avid participants in our workshops, we deepened our empathy. This summer at BeLit reaffirmed our commitment to becoming nurses who center dignity, trust, and compassion in all aspects of care inside and outside hospital walls.”
Wendy Chavez & Agnes Duch