Be Brave, Try Anyway: The UofL Alumna Inspiring A New Generation of Readers
May 28, 2026
UofL CEHD alumna Nile Rowe, CEHD Dean Tabitha Grier-Reed and Decode Project's Founder LayToya Whitlock (left to right) stand together in a classroom setting in front of a screen displaying a “Become a Decode Champion”.
Nile Rowe arrived at the University of Louisville as an elementary education major and Porter Scholar. During her first year, she discovered Decode Project, a local literacy nonprofit. What started as a way to gain experience working with children quickly became a calling. Pulling students for one-on-one reading support felt intimidating at first. “This is my first time being the adult,” she recalled. But as she learned about relationship-building in her coursework, she saw those ideas come to life with the children she mentored. The connection was immediate and transformative.
Through Decode Project, Rowe worked with students in schools, summer camps, and community spaces, helping lead field trips, science activities, and creative projects. She watched hesitant readers grow into confident learners and saw how literacy shapes not only academic success but self-belief. “The biggest growth we see isn’t just in reading, it’s in confidence,” she said. Students who began quietly soon raised their hands, greeted peers, and saw themselves as capable. That confidence rippled into classrooms and homes, reinforcing a simple truth: when children believe they can, they do.
At UofL, Rowe’s coursework and field experiences deepened her understanding of schools as part of a larger community. Studying public education, child development, and the realities of today’s classrooms while working with students across Louisville helped her connect theory to practice and recognize the broader impact of literacy and equity work. For Rowe, literacy is more than a skill; it is access, independence, and opportunity.
After graduating, Rowe returned to Decode Project full-time as a program administrator. She now trains new mentors, many of them UofL students, while continuing to work with children and families. She also recruits future educators, sharing how community-based experiences can shape both professional skills and personal growth.
Her advice to students is simple: get involved, try new opportunities, and trust that you are more capable than you think.
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