If we all understood we can learn from both older and younger people, then we'd have a better world.

Hoping to instill my love of learning in other children, I taught my first class at a local elementary school the year my first book, 'Flying Fingers,' debuted; since then, I have spoken at hundreds of schools, classrooms and conferences around the world.

Since the age of four, I've been exploring what I can do with the written word: everything from championing literacy and youth voice to raising awareness about world hunger.

It seems we're not only uninformed about our present, we're ignorant of our past.

Our words can have power that we don't think we have in everyday life - anyone can make a difference.

In order to make anything a reality, you have to dream about it first.

If I had my way, I'd end all wars and poverty. We should all be more aware of what's going on in the world around us and less ignorant.