Page Turner of the Month
This June, we are happy to recognize Cecilia Zhao (She/Her/Hers) as Page Turner of the month! Cecilia has been a Page Turner since October, 24, 2022, and has since read 17 books, totaling 32 hours and 15 minutes.
Can you give a brief introduction of who you are? (As much as you’re willing to share)
I’m a life coach, a mom, a learning & development professional, an ex-auditor, and a hospice volunteer from Toranto. Every day I wake up with the passion and courage to inspire growth through a lens of curiosity, so that we can live wholeheartedly to flourish.
How did you come across Page Turners/Words Alive?
Page Turners was one of our featured volunteer opportunities back in 2022 for Connect Days as part of our EY Ripples Program!
What are your hobbies/interests outside of volunteering?
Reading (obviously), playing Chinese Zither, pole dancing, writing are what I do almost everyday. I have many other hobbies/interests such as crafting, rock climbing, puzzles, hiking, gaming…to name a few.
Has reading with Page Turners impacted your perspective on society or your community?
I’m always amazed how diverse and inclusive the society has become. When I was a kid, the values and norms you could find through reading were slightly more diverse than my environment, but still quite limited. Today, there is so much freedom, love, acceptance and empathy in our world reflected through the books. I love accessing that myself, and I love passing that onto more people (especially our younger generations) through reading with Page Turners.
What is your favorite book(s) so far?
That’s a hard question…my recency bias would definitely say Imogen, Obviously for a thoughtful and intimate, self discovery and romance story. I really enjoyed The Moon Within for what I didn’t experience when I was a teenager – the self acceptance journey and beautiful cultural celebration of a girl coming-of-age. It was written in poem style which was a new experience for me. I would also mention Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me as it officially introduced me into the world of graphic novels. Its messy yet real stories about toxic relationships shows perfectly what true growth looks like.
If you would like to join Cecilia in her participation, you can sign up to be a Page Turner here.