Explorer Aija Hodges, a junior from Kalamazoo Central High School, was a state finalist in the National Next Narrative True Colors Monologue Competition. The event was held on May 2, at the Apollo Theatre in New York City. Although Aija did not place nationally, she did a phenomenal job in her riveting performance of “One
Six members of the Merze Tate Explorers held their breath as they awaited the results. The young women in grades 9th-12th, had just competed with nearly 30 other youth in the inaugural virtual True Colors Next Narrative Monologue Competition. Their hard work had paid off as students competed virtually for two spots to perform in
The Merze Tate Explorers used their media skills to share how Sonya Hollins has made an impact on their lives. As Hollins introduces the youth to amazing career and college exploration through media and travel, students say they treasure these experiences that jumpstart them to find their passion. Hollins was presented with the Mary Sutton
Thanks to Juan Zalazar for sharing of our amazing role model, Merze Tate, through a Spotify podcast in Spanish! Check out the episode here! https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5pTYmiiuLqz3j8jfLjMxZC
Explorers who graduated from middle school to college were celebrated for their 2021 accomplishments! The Explorers, in partnership with Girls Scouts Heart of Michigan, also recognized three Explorers who earned Silver and Gold Awards. The Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. Maya Daniels, Syann Hollins, and Sierra Ward earned a
The Merze Tate Explorers were the only nonprofit organizations in Michigan represented in the 2021 Poetry Out Loud competition. A dozen Explorers took part in their first competition with a group-wide competition won by Explorer Sierra Ward who represented the organization in the state finals. Alayna Kuhn entered and won the essay competition which asked
KALAMAZOO (MICH.) – When Colleagues International passed the Taste of the Worldfund-raising event to the Merze Tate Explorers, the pandemic hit. Not only were the plans for a fundraiser canceled, so was their study abroad to South Africa. A year later, a Zoom relationship with girls in Mwanza, Tanzania has allowed the organization to bring
The Merze Tate Explorers took part in their first Poetry Out Loud competition. The national competition is held at school, state, and national levels. After a socially-distant competition, Sierra Ward won first place in the Explorers’ first Poetry Out Loud event and went on to compete for the state title. All participants received a gift
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators shares the story of the Merze Tate Explorers! Thanks, SCBWI for your continued efforts to highlight authors and what we do to share the world with children through books! Read the story on The Mitten HERE!
Explorers Maya Daniels, Sierra Ward and Syann Hollins were recently recognized by the City of Kalamazoo as youth dedicated to social justice. The young ladies will be recognized during the City Commission meeting on January 19th by Mayor David Anderson. Each will receive a $300 scholarship toward college. Maya earned the Dr. Lewis Walker Social