Two friends in the Duncanville High School Class of 2020 had something good happen the other day.
They can now call themselves "published authors!"
Diana Reyes and Kelly Gutierrez wrote and illustrated a bilingual children's book during their senior year. It placed fifth in a state competition, then got first place in a national contest.
Now comes the next chapter. Their book called The House Kitty is now available in paperback on Amazon.
Th House Kitty is the story of Diana's real-life cat Luna. Diana says Luna is quite adventurous but she used to be, well, a scaredy-cat.
She finally learned life is more fun when you get out of your comfort zone.
And, that's the lesson Diana and Kelly want to teach in their book.
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“You never know you’ll like something unless you take that risk," Diana said. "I also connected that idea to when kids enter school for the first time. Tantrums and timidness take over because they don’t know what to expect. By reading this book, I hope they can learn to break through that barrier."
And in this back to school season, the friends who are future educators hope the story of Luna inspires kids to practice finding new and fun journeys.
A news release from Duncanville ISD says Diana and Kelly earned their Educational Aide I certifications from the State of Texas while studying education in Duncanville High School’s Career and Technical Education program. They both intend to study education in college with plans to become teachers.
Kelly became interested in education because she believes knowledge is power and enjoys the idea of sharing that knowledge with her future students. Diana says she hopes to change a child's life every day.
