"My dream is to be a scientist and help find a cure for Covid and heart disease. I want to find a magic potion to stop families of pain, tears, and sorrows from these diseases.

Thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King for loving people all over the world and showing us love is the way. My dream can come true with a good education and believing in myself!”

Those words were written by Thomas Magnet 2^nd grader Xavier Nolan Lanier. And as one can see, he has big dreams of helping people, especially helping those going through sickness.

This is in large part due to the passing of his grandfather in September of 2021. He passed away from Covid pneumonia and heart failure, according to Xavier’s grandmother Paulette Lanier.

But through tragedy comes dreams and hopes and a bright future for Xavier. In addition to attending Thomas Magnet, he is also receiving tutoring from Angelia James, a volunteer at the Shelbyville-Bedford Public Library.

Since this month is Black History Month, Angelia wanted to give Xavier a project that would “be able to show his dreams.” This is especially interesting for her because Xavier is part of a new era.

Angelia became a volunteer at the library in 2017. While working on her PhD in psychology, she said she was encouraged to work at the library to understand what students and adults need help with today. She also helps veterans and those who are unemployed to help create resumes.

This is just a portion of the many resources available at the library that volunteers can assist people with. And though tutoring may have a stigma associated with it, Angelia agreed that anything like this helps students fine-tune their education.

Today, she’s been helping Xavier about two days a week, assisting him with i-Ready, Lexia, and other technology programs in addition to school subjects like math and writing.

For Xavier, Angelia said he has already moved up several levels in i-Ready as well as started gearing towards a career path. “He just grasps it, whatever it is,” said Angelia.

And it’s safe to say Xavier is grasping MLK’s message of “love, peace, justice and freedom for people all over the world.”