Growing up as a young reader, I voraciously read story after story of solving mysteries, entering new worlds through a magical treehouse and following the adventures of a boy with a cape and underpants. My imagination soared from page to page, and even when the book was finished, I was left wanting more… more adventure, more challenges and more fun.
As I grew older, I became more focused on reading stories that helped me figure out who I was as a person, as a young lady, and what impact I hoped to make in the world. I had the pleasure of looking up to my mother, who always challenged and inspired me to pursue a life filled with purpose and service to others. But how would I do that, and where could I begin?
When I began trying to answer those questions, it astonished me that medicine was never part of the process. In fact, it never came up, nor did it seem plausible. I realized then that the ideas I formed about the path I wanted to pursue in life were largely influenced by what I had been exposed to. What would have happened if I had seen someone who looked like me in the books I read growing up pursuing medicine as a doctor? Would that have impacted how I eventually began to see myself as someone who could belong in medicine?
The inspiration for this picture book comes from the belief that storytelling is incredibly powerful! Whether we realize it or not, the stories we encounter as children expand our imagination and show us what is possible. Children may not be able to fly like superheroes or travel to another dimension, but they can learn from stories that failure is not the end. Stories grant hope. They can say, “Yes, you too can dream of becoming a doctor,” especially as a child of color.
I see my book as a way to showcase the possibilities of dreaming big, even when you do not get there on the first try. It highlights that representation in pursuing this kind of dream matters. My hope is that one day, a child reading this story could see themselves doing it too. That is beyond powerful.
Representation is one of my central aims in writing this book, but I was also inspired to encourage persistence and resilience on the path to success. The journey toward success is often not linear and that is okay! I love stories that stretch my imagination and allow me to dream beyond what feels real. But I also believe it is powerful to create stories that reflect the very real parts of life, including both the sour challenges and the sweet victories. To showcase stories that remind us that possibilities truly exist. It then becomes more than a story, but a conversation starter and an influence on identity itself as children grow to learn about themselves and their place in this huge world filled with those possibilities.
