From a formative age, Sonya Reese Greenland exhibited a natural curiosity about the world in which we live, and her ambitions were solidified upon receiving instruction and guidance from her own school teacher in elementary school. Desiring thereafter to serve as an elementary school teacher herself, Ms. Greenland received several degrees and certifications as she entered adulthood. To wit, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a Master of Arts in reading, both from California State University, Los Angeles. She also holds credentials as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist in the state of California.
For 40 fruitful years, Ms. Greenland excelled as an elementary school teacher within the Los Angeles Unified School District. In her post-retirement years, she served as a tutor and fourth-grade teacher at Lifelong Learning between 2003 and 2013. Since retiring from education, Ms. Greenland has been recognized as a community historian and activist, having been a member and vice president of the Venice Historical Society and a member of the Preservation of Public Places and the Cultural Education Project. Likewise, she previously served in the area of property management and the nonprofit industry prior to entering the field of education.
Impressively, Ms. Greenland has been engaged in genealogy for more than two decades and authored the book “The Wizard of Venice,” a nonfiction work focused on her grandfather, Reverend Arthur Lloyd Reese, who was Venice’s most prosperous Black businessman and former head of the Abbot Kinney Company. Ms. Greenland was inspired to author her book after volunteering at her local library during Black History Month, noticing that the teachers’ center library did not have adequate information regarding Venice’s history. To this end, she endeavored to contribute to the library’s collection and considered her authorship a terrific opportunity to contribute to Black history.
In the coming years, Ms. Greenland aims to continue writing about her family history, her life and her experiences in personal and professional circles. Moreover, she intends to continue traveling, having visited 25 countries thus far. As a testament to her success, she was bestowed with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and was featured in The Wall Street Journal in 2023.
