Our Students Become Published Authors!

Three students met the deadline, and after 16 weeks of mentorship with Austin StartUp School, became published authors!

From idea to implementation, our middle-school students successfully navigated the process under our mentorship to bring their passions to publication.

While the results will ultimately reach far beyond what is quantifiable, here are some tangible ones:

Vivian Codiga discovered her food sensitivities as a young child and felt the significant difference it made when a carefully selected diet was followed.  Now at 13, she wondered if animals suffered in a similar way and if they, too, would find relief of symptoms if they avoided certain foods.  Her thoughtfully uncovered research combined with her creative imagination, love for animals and enthusiasm for baking resulted in her cookbook, Best Friends Bakery: Clean & Natural Dog Treat Recipes, a collection of 21 recipes free of common allergens like grain and dairy, all under 8 ingredients/$8.

Mateja Mitchell, also 13, is on a mission to empower young girls and their parents to connect, communicate and navigate the unique challenges girls face today.  In her book, Fearless: A Young Girl’s Story about Overcoming the Challenges of Childhood, she describes detailed personal accounts of what are also common issues among the youth of today – from bullying to trauma associated with environmental and world events – and reveals strategies for ways of thinking and behaving to stand fearlessly in the face of it all.

Dashel Codiga, 11, was taken by surprise by his love for poetry after discovering it in a creative writing class the year prior.  In his words, he immediately realized that poetry is an exciting and empowering way to work with words, speak more fluently and unlock creative ways to express himself.  Wanting to share this with others, he committed to write and publish his poems – with a twist.  Dash’s book, Pencil, Paper, Poetry: A How-to-Write Poetry Coloring Book, helps readers discover and learn to compose 15 different poetry forms, while taking inspiration from the author’s own examples and coloring the corresponding intricately hand-drawn image for each poem.

Find all of these young authors’ books in paperback on Amazon!