While many adults took to perfecting a new skill during the pandemic with their extra time, one youth decided she would use her own personal experiences to write her first book.
Now a junior at A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School, Tybreai Garcia published a self-help book centered around transitioning to middle school and tips to make the process easier.
“You Got This!: Guide to Successfully Surviving Middle School” focuses on a variety of topics including: bullying, friends, homework, new academic responsibilities and expectations, self love and future goals.
As the pandemic prevented her from partaking in many activities during eighth grade, rather than focusing on the negative, Garcia chose to focus her energy on Language Arts – her favorite subject at that time.
She said writing and working towards an end-goal kept her positive, motivated and well balanced throughout the lockdown.
“We were at home 24/7, and we couldn’t really go anywhere,” she said. “So when I woke up, I had something to look forward to other than schoolwork. It really helped me a lot.”
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Her aunt, who has written a few books, connected Garcia with writing coach and editor Nyisha D. Davis. With Davis’ guidance and tips, week by week Garcia slowly wrote and refined her chapters.
“I was a little nervous at first, but I mean, I gave it a try and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “My writing coach made it really easy for me.”
Garcia said she attributed her progress in writing a guide to support from her mom, aunt and Davis.
“Without them, none of this would have been possible,” she said. “I believe I’m the first [published] author in my family, and I was 14 at the time. That was a big accomplishment, and that’s something I can say forever.”
Her favorite part of publishing the book was meeting new people and having meaningful interactions with others in her community through autographs and conversation.
Desiring to create something that might help others at a tough stage of life, Garcia said she wrote the book to be relatable, fun and encouraging.
“I pulled from my own experiences, but I wasn’t too specific so it could help other people handle things when it happens to them,” she said. “I just hope they can take away something good.”
Similar to a guided journal or diary, Garcia’s book also features spaces where readers can answer prompts related to chapters. She said this was purposefully planned, because she wanted to make it a safe place for others to express themselves too.
“It’s so they can write about their own experience and then have something they can look back to in the future,” she said.
Garcia believes reflection is important because it can help individuals learn lessons from past mistakes or challenges, which leads to a brighter high school experience.
She hopes readers take away meaningful reminders of their goals and core values, and remember those ideas in times of great peer pressure or stress.
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“It can get challenging; it’s a big transition from elementary school to middle. So I just hope it helps them out to get through it,” she said. “I hope it points out things to look forward to in middle school too.”
For her, Garcia said the biggest change was no longer having teachers who micromanaged students and reminded them of assignments.
“Middle school is not the same – you’re kind of on your own,” she said. “It’s kind of a maturity thing. You have to grow up some. Teachers aren’t always going to be holding your hand.”
Garcia said she will most likely consider writing another self-help book later in life if inspired, but for now she is focusing on future college aspirations.
She is currently considering majoring in criminology and has not decided which college she wants to attend.
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
