G.A. Sealy’s Most Frequently Asked Questions
Where were you born?
Why do you have an accent?
I am a first-generation American. My family comes from the beautiful island of Barbados in the West Indies. That is where mega superstar Rihanna aka RiRi is from. Hello to all my Bajans, Caribbean people, and everyone else around the world.
Where did you go to school?
1st – I went to the best elementary school ever Public School 55 in Richmond Hill, Queens New York
2nd – Followed by Junior High School 226 in Queens New York
3rd – Next I went to the one and only Brooklyn Technical High School – Go Technites!
4th – After that I went to City College of the City University of New York where I received my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology & Education
5th – I then attended Touro College where I received my Master’s degree in Educational Administration
I am also a Certified Science and Health Educator, and an I.S.S.A. Fitness Trainer & Specialist in Sports Nutrition.
Who do you look up to?
Did you always want to be a writer?
Yes. From the time I was young, I loved to read books and use to write stories. I won a couple of awards in elementary school for my writing but I became busy with school, family and my career, and I stopped writing for a while. I taught high school which was great, but in the back of my mind, I still had the itch to become an author. One day I got the courage and decided to go after my dream and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Lesson to be learned- No matter what happens always believe in yourself and follow your dreams.
What inspired you to create your Young Scientist series of books?
I taught science in high school, and I found that many students came to me with an I “hate science attitude.” I knew they could not really mean that because they love cars, using Instagram and using light bulbs to see at night.
And guess what? All those things deal with science.
It was not that these students really hated science. They just could not relate to the way it was being taught. I worked hard to make science fun in my class and was able to change many of my students negative attitudes towards science. Then a went off. What if I created stories that would make learning science fun for young children? Then by the time they got to high school instead of saying I “hate” science they would say “I love school because science is cool.” I know the word cool is old school, but it rhymes.
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Why do you care and why should I care about STEM?
Many careers and businesses of the future are STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, Math) related. If you think about Facebook, Tesla, and even Amazon, all those businesses are connected to STEM. However, African-Americans and Latinos only make up a very small percentage of STEM professionals. We can change that. How? By getting children of color interested in pursuing these careers and businesses. That is where my Young Scientist series of books come in. I also do STEM workshops to get children excited about learning. Email dawitpublishing@gmail.com or visit www.dawitpublishing.com for more info.
Why did you create the I Love Me series of books?
The I Love Me series of books was inspired by a conversation I overheard between my daughter and my niece discussing things they did not like about themselves. I was shocked, to say the least because I always tried to reinforce in my daughter that she is an intelligent, beautiful young lady inside and out. However, the influence of the media is strong, and young girls of color are especially vulnerable to its effects. This experience sparked my creation of the I Love Me series of books which empower children to love themselves unconditionally. How? By prominently featuring characters of color and differently abled children. I will continually strive to write books that touch the souls of readers, and that promote diversity and inclusion.
Have you ever won any awards for your books?
- Moonbeam Children’s Book Silver Award for Mind-Body-Spirit books
- Nautilus Silver Book Award for Children’s Illustrated Fiction books
- Nautilus Silver Award for Children’s Illustrated Non- Fiction books
- Finalist in Children’s Mind-Body & Spirit books in the International Book Awards
- Finalist in Children’s Educational books in the International Book Awards
What do you do for fun?
Do you do author visits or workshops?
How can we find out about your latest books or where you will be?
Just sign up for our email list to keep up with my latest books and events.
I hope that answers most of your questions. If not one day we will meet at an event and you can ask me your question then. For now, talk to you later.