Profile written by Ben Hollingshead, volunteer
Words Alive 2023 Learning Kit Legend of the Year Mary Petrowski is a remarkably humble and understated volunteer, but with her incredible attention to detail, organization, and efficiency is an absolute force at the Words Alive craft parties!
Mary was born and raised in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minneapolis, and lived there for the first 30 years of her life, getting her B.S. in Biochemistry and M.S. in Animal Physiology and working as a molecular biologist at the University of Minnesota. She later worked for San Diego biotech start-ups and pharmaceutical companies. She is most proud of the role of being a mom to her son and daughter, who currently live in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively.
Mary reads newspapers and non-fiction and sees reading as a way to learn. When she retired in 2009, she wanted to work to help children and families and knew that literacy is foundational to the success of both children and adults. She was especially interested in investing time in helping to level the playing field for children who, through no fault of their own, do not have the opportunities of more privileged kids. She wanted to volunteer with effective and efficient organizations that tracked their outcomes and impact. She found Words Alive through the San Diego Council on Literacy and was impressed with the organization’s data-driven approach to improving literacy. She initially considered working with the Family Literacy program but knew she had limited time to volunteer as she was also volunteering for a pollical action group. So, she started working in the office as part of Crafty Crew, which allowed her to help as her schedule permitted. She enjoys meeting new people at the Craft Parties, allowing her to interact with people she would never have met.
When Mary is not volunteering, she confesses to spending “altogether too much time watching college and professional football games.” She also keeps active by walking her dog and doing barre and interval classes. She recently took up Tai Chi and Mahjong and jokes, “They have not become an obsession...yet!”
Mary, thank you for all your hard work, and congratulations on being named Learning Kit Legend of the Year!
Book recommendation: She recently read the novel Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, which she describes as “a light, entertaining read!”