San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
La Jolla student’s book goes global
When she was in sixth grade, La Jolla Country Day School student Trisha Rao wrote a poem as a way to relax ahead of an exam. Little did she know the poem would go on to have global impact, evolving into a book about the power of self-belief; one that would be translated into multiple languages and given to refugees and others facing adversity.
Most recently, copies of Trisha’s book, “Believe in Yourself,” were translated into Ukrainian and distributed to young students — both local and refugee — at the Education Center of Tierrasanta Lutheran Church in an event organized by the House of Ukraine in Balboa Park on Jan. 6.
“The message embedded within Trisha Rao’s book is not only uplifting but profoundly positive,” said Alla Boyko, cultural director for the House of Ukraine. “In times like these, it’s imperative that our children engage with literature that inspires hope and resilience. Books like ‘Believe in Yourself’ are essential, as they nurture young minds with optimism and the strength to overcome challenges.”
It all started with Trisha’s poem.
At the time, she was nervous about a test she was about to take and decided to write as a way to unwind.
“I kept telling myself I had to believe in myself to do well on this exam, so I decided to make that the theme of the poem,” she said. “My parents thought it was inspiring and wanted me to do something with it that would have an impact.”
So Trisha decided to put the poem into a book and expand it to include a story she wrote about the family dog traveling the world, learning life lessons along the way. The book would go on to be a gold medalist in the children’s e-book category of the Independent Publisher Book Awards in 2016.
In learning about the Syrian refugee crisis that started more than a decade ago, she wanted to translate the book into Arabic and distribute it to people who had been displaced.
She traveled to Istanbul to give copies of the book to refugees and stage a reading.
“I wanted them to take away that while their lives are hard, they can believe in themselves and achieve what they want to do,” Trisha said.
The book was shelved for a while and not translated into any other languages. But when the war in Ukraine broke out in early 2022, Trisha knew she wanted to help, so she had the book translated into Ukrainian and again offered a reading to young students.
“It was really nice to make an impact,” said Trisha, now 16. “It brought back something that I am passionate about. It was a humbling but also enjoyable experience to show myself what I can do with this book and see how the book can help people.”
Both in her childhood and now, the message of believing in oneself has been important to Trisha.
“So many people don’t have self-confidence,” she said. “I think if you have that, no matter what you are going through, it can be inspiring and powerful. I think in the world today, where there is so much conflict around us, the message of hope and believing in yourself is applicable, especially for children.”
Trisha also created the art in “Believe in Yourself,” and it includes images of collages and abstracts she made.
Though there currently are no plans to translate “Believe in Yourself” into more languages, a second book is in the works.
“It’s more of a fictional book for older kids that continues my dog’s journey around the world,” Trisha said. “She’s like a superhero that makes friends and helps people wherever she goes.”
The goal is to have the second book out before she goes to college in two years.
“I feel really grateful to have the opportunity to help people,” Trisha said. “It was also a powerful feeling to be so young and have such an impact on people. I think other people can take away that no matter how old you are, you can have an impact on the world.”