Foundations of Teacher Education student a finalist in the National Book Challenge

Erin De Leon - headshot

WCTC Foundations of Teacher Education (FOTE) student Erin E. De Leon was recently named one of 50 finalists in the 2018-19 National Book Challenge, hosted by Studentreasures Publishing. De Leon was recognized for her book, “Gabby: Not Gabriella,” which was published earlier this year.

De Leon developed the idea for her book while learning about children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She spent a significant amount of time researching the topic, writing and editing, and refining her illustrations before submitting her completed pages.

As a finalist in the book challenge, De Leon’s book was selected from entries across the country and awarded as a Top 50 book -- based on its originality, creative storyline and colorful drawings.

This nationwide contest was open to more than 134,480 books that were submitted to Studentreasures for free publishing this past school year.

Studentreasures, which sparks students’ imagination through its free publishing program, has been encouraging writers across the United States and Canada for more than 20 years.