Charlotte High School students meet best-selling author

Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:

Hundreds of students at Charlotte High School had their dream come true when they met New York Times best-selling author Ruta Sepetys.

Sepetys visited the school, captivating the students who had fallen in love with her historical fiction novels.

WINK News reporter Paul Dolan was present as Sepetys interacted with the eager students.

Jacey Jozefiak, one of the students at the assembly, was thrilled to meet Sepetys.

“I fangirled so hard when she walked in. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh’, giddy, giggling,” said Jozefiak.

Jozefiak, whose family immigrated from Poland after World War I, found a deep connection with Sepetys’ novels.

“I had felt very moved on reading her book, Salt to the Sea, because there was a Polish teenage girl in it who was escaping Hitler and World War II,” said Jozefiak.

Sepetys emphasized a common theme in her work.

“All of my books are about the same thing. They’re about freedom and how sharing our stories facilitates human understanding,” said Sepetys.

Students eagerly lined up to get her autograph, cherishing the opportunity to connect with the author. Sepetys expressed the importance of these interactions.

“These students, they are the future eyes of the past. They are the ones who are going to carry our fading history forward,” said Sepetys.

Sepetys’ passion for freedom is personal, as her father was a victim of communism and spent nine years in refugee camps. This connection resonates when students share their own stories.

“I met many students coming through the line who are children from Cuban families who have a similar story. I think that sometimes we can take for granted the rights that we have. Freedom is fragile,” said Sepetys.

Sepetys is inspiring the next generation with stories from the past.

She believes understanding each other’s stories can break down barriers, saying, “If we don’t know each other’s stories, we may misjudge each other, but if we take the time to learn about each other’s history and unique story, we may see that we are a bit more similar than different,” said Sepetys.

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