Major Past Presentations:
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Hello! I'm Paula, and I'm originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I moved to the United States when I was nineteen years old. Although I had studied English while I lived in Brazil, it clearly wasn't enough. Reality hit as soon as the plane landed! Weeks after I arrived, I took English as a Second Language classes at an adult school and briefly after at a community college. A semester later, I wanted to fully embrace the American culture, so I started to work at my college library. A new world opened up for me. Everything was unfamiliar. I mean, everything!
For several years, my goal was to be able to communicate well with others while pursuing a higher education. That's all I wanted. I obtained my B.A. in psychology while working at the library. Those were tough years. By the time I completed my degree, I wanted to be a librarian. Today, I have a master's degree in library and information science. I've worked as a librarian in Texas and California, taught countless bibliographic instructions, selected materials for collection development (especially ESL), participated in several committees, coordinated the work of several employees, taught library classes, and so much more. I am blessed to work as a full-time faculty librarian. It is my dream job! For the last several years, I've had the opportunity to share my immigrant story with English learners, and I've read How I Learned English to them. Their enthusiasm about the story and how they've related to the main character motivated me to publish this book. My latest book titled Matt Is a Normal Cat has been inspiring kids (and adults) all over the country. I also have a music video, that I recorded with a professional songwriter, that has been bringing joy to kids (and adults) around the world. My goal is to continue writing inspirational picture books that portray the reality of immigrants in the United States. This is my little way of giving back to the community. Thank you for your support. Paula Massadas Pereira |