About Us
Marie Elena Cortes was born in Los Angeles, California from Mexican-American parents. She had
a wonderful childhood in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. She graduated from Houston Baptist University in 1996 with a B.A. in Bilingual/ESL Education and Interdisciplinary Studies. Marie Elena is a person who is constantly learning from books, people, and especially from her students. Children inspire her to learn, think, and be creative. Her goal is to help students shine and be the best they can be. Her hobby is writing and illustrating children books and poems. In 2003, she published her first book titled: My Annoying Little Brother, a story that came from her personal journal. She enjoys going to schools to present her after-school programs, weekend writing workshops, and parent seminars at schools, libraries, churches and conferences (in state and out of state).
Summer of 2005, she created Kids Write to Know, a club that helps students improve their communication skills by learning special topics. She incorporates environmental awareness, financial literacy, culture, history, art, and music into her lessons. Her mission is to inspire students to be responsible, knowledgeable, and productive citizens.
Then in 2008, she designed Kids Write Online.org, an interactive website for students to communicate and share their stories. She collaborates with non-profit organizations and businesses to organize special events for kids. Students think of ways to motivate their community with their stories.
Marie Elena has received recognitions as a community leader from Houston Association of Bilingual Educators, Houston Dynamos, and Sucesos Newspaper. On Dec. 13, 2008, Mayor Bill White, gave Marie Elena a “Kids Write to Know Day”. On this day, she invites schools to think, reflect and put their thoughts on paper, computer, pavement, clothing, or anywhere their minds can imagine!
