Those precious children pictured above participated in Career Day at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula’s Orange Avenue Clubhouse in South San Francisco. They were among hundreds who stopped by my table that afternoon to learn about my work.

They carried “passports” for us volunteers to stamp if the students asked us questions and wrote notes about our answers. The more stamps they earned, the more likely they would win a prize. The most common questions: “Are you a writer? Did you write all this stuff on your table?”

“Yes, I’m a writer, and I do marketing communications and I teach writing. I wrote these magazines and books. For my marketing communications, I help Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula get onto TV news shows and into these newspapers. I also teach writing to adults and to youth, including the Writing Clubs I started here and at the other clubs and schools.”

Almost every student wrote at least a few words, even those who knew hardly any English. The most important things were their trying and having their efforts rewarded. One girl, maybe in fourth grade, asked an extra question: “Was it your dream to be a writer?”

“When I was in eighth grade,” I told her, “my school tested us to see if we belonged in advanced writing classes in high school. They told me I was a good writer. That was the first time someone told me I was good at something, so I stuck with it. And then, yes, it became my dream to become a professional writer.”

She wrote for a minute and then handed me her passport to stamp. It read: “If I work at it, my dream of becoming a writer can come true.”

As a Career Day volunteer hoping to uplift younger generations, my own dream came true.