“So after she overcame all the fears she had faced, she now knew that she could overcome any fear in her future. “

Once there was a girl named Gaby that liked to do different things. She always liked to do adventurous things that she thought she could never do, like swimming or karate. Living in Los Angeles provided Gaby with opportunities she might not have had if she lived in another city or country.

By the way, she loved her family. Her favorite quote was, “I don’t have friends, I have family,” from Dominic Toretto in the movie Furious 7. Her family included her brother Andres, her sister Angelica, her mom Elizabeth, her dad Jose, and her grandpa Marino. With the help of her family, she overcame her fears.

Somewhere in LA, Gaby took swimming lessons. She didn’t know how such deep water would feel. She wanted to take swimming lessons to learn how to swim. Swimming helped her feel safe, confident, and most of all, happy. Overall, she thought it was fun, and now she loves the water.

After she stopped taking swimming lessons, she started school at Logan Street School. Fourth grade was the best year, because she met her best friend, Melissa. Their friendship began on the first day of fourth grade when Gaby saw a nice face and sat next to her. So they introduced themselves and said to each other, “You’re nice.” Melissa said, “Do you want to be best friends?” Gaby responded, “Sure, why not?” Melissa said, “You can tell me all your secrets.” Gaby replied,  “Thank you, BFF.” Melissa became a confident friend and was there for Gaby during tough times.

Then, Gaby started to take karate lessons. At first, she didn’t want to take these lessons, but at the same time, she thought it was good to learn something new. She took karate to see if she liked it or not. After a few lessons, she started to like it. She enjoyed learning how to defend herself. Unfortunately,  Gaby was involved in a accident, and she got hit in the stomach. She told her parents she didn’t want to go, but her parents said, “Don’t give up. You can do it!” So with the help of her parents, she overcame her fears. She was proud because she got up to purple belt, but had to pass a test to obtain it. She actually enjoyed it and it was fun for her.

In the eighth grade, she and her best friend spent their last year at Logan Street School. They had fun throughout their years together, but they both said, “This is our most important year for us.” They were so excited that they were finally going on to high school. They were excited for the eighth grade events, too. Then it was the last day of middle school. Both said to each other, “I am going to miss you, BFF.”

So middle school was over, and it was summer time. Over the summer, Gaby and her family went to Big Bear for the first time. Gaby thought it was fun. They checked out a new pool near Hansen Dam Recreation Center. And guess what? She had no fear of swimming in the water! They went to the mall. They went to the Santa Monica Pier and to the Summer Institute.

So after she overcame all the fears she had faced, she now knew that she could overcome any fear in her future.

In Never Leave Too Far From Home, Echo Park’s Tuesday and Thursday Night Tutoring students took on the task of seeing the city they call home from a new perspective. They dreamt up dystopian futures, penned dramatic telenovelas, and crafted nostalgic poems. For some of these young Angelenos, the city served as the backdrop for their tales, while for others, Los Angeles became a character in and of itself. They explored how Los Angeles is a city of glitz and grime, grit and glamor, rich and poor. Or, as one student writes, “Los Angéles para todos.”

Read more about 826LA’s tutoring program and volunteer opportunities here. 

You can purchase Never Leave Too Far From Home at the Time Travel Mart here.