Hi My Name Is Paola!

I am the author of Philomena and the Name Game! I have worked with children in various capacities from a young age, but for the last 9 years I have worked as a teacher in the South Bronx-- having taught 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th graders. During my time as an educator,  I have actively sought out texts that represent the cultural, historical, and geographical experiences of my students. What I found, was that this in itself became a full time job! As time went on, I realized that this was a problem that many other educators, parents, students and advocates for equitable representation faced. It was after this realization that I decided to pursue my life long passion for writing,  in order to create stories that I wish I had for my students and even myself at a young age. I fell in love with the idea of "If you don't see it, CREATE IT!"