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This story is part of our SPOTLIGHT series focusing on the state of education in Missouri. Read more here.

Growing up with a parent in the military meant that change was an active part of my life and the choices that I made. Books were always one of the only things that felt constant to me. No matter where I was, I could pull out my favorite stories and feel right at home. The fact that someone could create something years before my time and have it always remain the same was an inspiration to me. 

I spent much of my childhood moving the country while anchored in Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, fantastical tales of wonder and magic.

Eventually I also began to read nonfiction, the stories of great explorers and scientists whose discoveries bettered the communities in which they lived. I wanted to become one of the people who made wonder a tangible thing in what they did and the legacy that they left behind. My local library was a temple of knowledge that I was all too happy to frequent and find comfort in.

My love of reading helped me get into the International Baccalaureate program at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. My math teacher first introduced me to the IB concept in sixth grade. She made it seem like a fantastical club that only the most determined would ever get into. I couldn鈥檛 wait to join this program that would help me to both challenge myself academically and give back to the community that had helped me feel at home.

IB is a worldwide program that prepares students to make a difference for good in the world. It was in part due to the knowledge I gained by devouring every book I came across that was able to get me into my high school’s program in 11th grade. 

The program requires all participants to do one major service project as part of their Community, Activity and Service hours.  The goal is to ensure that all IB graduates have sufficiently contributed to their communities by the end of their senior year. 

I spent months searching for a project that felt perfect and the ideal send off to both my school and my city. Finally I found the nonprofit, Show Me KC Schools. They were looking for a way to spread literacy throughout Kansas City and provide free school guides to communities at the same time. 

Show Me KC Schools helps families new to both the city and the schools find the perfect place for their children. I remembered  the search for my own school when I had first moved to the city,  as well as the way that the libraries had allowed me to feel at home. 

I decided to share that feeling by building three 鈥淟ittle Libraries鈥� around the city. The libraries provide a space for people to leave behind books and take new ones. In addition to books, these libraries would offer the Show Me KC Schools guide detailing public and private school choices in the city.

I quickly organized a book drive at one of my Boy Scout meetings in order to get the necessary supplies to build and fill the libraries. Again using recruited scout power, I was able to get all three libraries built and set up on a breezy spring afternoon. It was magical to imagine the joy that the books inside would bring to the kids in the neighborhoods. Additionally, I hoped that the guides sharing descriptions of school options would provide families with some advice during what can be a very stressful time.

When I think back to the years that I spent moving around the country and the stability in my life that I yearned for, I remember that it was always easier to handle when I wasn鈥檛 alone. 

By placing the libraries in public parks around Kansas City, I was ensuring that the knowledge would be shared throughout the community. Because of the nature of the Little Library, people would be able to learn more about those around them and connect over shared media. 

In all possible ways, this truly was the perfect send off for the end of my time in Kansas City. As I head off to college, I know that I am leaving a mark on the communities and places that helped make me who I am today. My greatest wish is that maybe someday someone will open that library and find a book that helps them feel at home, just like I did all those years ago.

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