High School Students Write Book to Help and Inspire Youth

Four high school students embarked on a journey to explore the world of opportunities and possibilities by taking on the challenge of writing a book together as mere sophomores. Now, as sophomores in college, these girls are working to inspire other youth with their book "Crossing the Road: A Guide for the College-Bound Chicken", showing them that anything really is possible – even writing a book in high school.

Yvonne Chen, Nancy Chu, Julia Ha and Aryatara Kandahsari are four classmates who decided one day to take a leadership course that their school was offering. Their teachers, Dr. and Mrs. Raymond Yeh, presented them with a seemingly insurmountable challenge: as high school sophomores, to whom college seemed like a distant and mysterious notion, they were to write a book guiding other high school students on learning how to make the right decisions and take the best actions to reach their goals, which in this case was college. Although rather skeptical at first, with the guidance of their teachers they worked on this project for almost two years, and their book is a product of their hard work, dedication, and friendship, and as a how-to guide, they are now presenting this book to other students. Their book was published in December 2005, the students’ senior year.

In this book they use the idea of a chicken crossing the road as a metaphor for the process a student might use to choose to decide whether they want to go to college, which college they want to attend, and how to get into the selected college. Using simple flow charts, pros and cons chart, tradeoff analyses, actions plans, and the like, they guide students through a step-by-step thinking and planning process. They also help the reader investigate him or herself at a deeper level – a level that is not muddled with statistics, pressure, and opinions.

These girls believe that their book can really help students make the right decisions not only for their future but also for their lives. They also believe that their book can also help students to learn more about themselves and take action in their pathway to college, not to mention also realize that anything is possible, even writing a book in high school. What the girls learned most out of this experience was that they learned to believe in themselves and that the only thing limiting their potential was the doubt that they once harnessed.

Now the girls are in college: Yvonne Chen is at University of California, Davis; Nancy Chu is at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania; Julia Ha is attending University of California, San Diego; and Aryatara Kandahsari is currently pursuing her education at San Jose State University. Future goals for all four students include a possible second book and ultimately graduate school.

Teacher and mentor Dr. Raymond Yeh is co-author of The Art of Business: In the Footsteps of Giants. Crossing the Road: A Guide for the College-Bound Chicken is published by the Yeh’s publishing company, Zero Time Publishing. The girls went to school at Developing Virtue Secondary School, located in Ukiah, CA, and the school is a part of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association’s main branch, The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Crossing the Road
4951 Bodhi Way
Ukiah, CA 95482
(510)289-0042
crossingtheroadbook@gmail.com
http://crossingtheroadbook.googlepages.com

We are four college students trying to spread the word about a book that we wrote together in high school. We believe that our book has more to offer than just decision-making strategies, but also offers proof that young people do have a voice and can do something with their lives.

This release was published on openPR.