GALT, CA (MPG) - Fairsite Elementary welcomed back one of its own Wednesday, Jan. 7, as former student Leticia Ordaz returned to read and gift her space-adventure themed children’s book, “The Carousel King and the Space Mission,” to students.

Preschool and transitional kindergarteners gathered in the cafeteria as Ordaz shared stories from her career as a television reporter, reflected on her journey as an author and engaged children through her reading, encouraging them to dream big.

A Galt native and Galt High School alumna, Ordaz is an Emmy Award-winning news anchor for Sacramento’s KCRA station, where she has covered major national events and reports on local stories.

Outside the newsroom, Ordaz writes bilingual children’s books that highlight Latino and Hispanic culture, filling a gap in representation she said she rarely saw growing up. During the visit, she read an excerpt from her autobiographical book, “That Girl on TV Could Be Me,” which follows her journey to becoming a news anchor and includes a nod to her hometown of Galt.

 

Award-winning author Leticia Ordaz reads to preschool and transitional kindergarten students at Fairsite Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 7. 

An award-winning author recognized by the International Latino Book Awards and founder of her publishing company, Cielito Lindo Books, Ordaz said her return to Fairsite was driven by her passion to promote literacy and inspire young readers.

“I really wanted to inspire kids because growing up I never had an author visit and so I never knew that being an author was a possibility,” she said.

Ordaz told The Galt Herald that she personally reached out to the district superintendent to make the reading possible. Drawing on her experience growing up in a small town, she said she wanted to encourage students to embrace their roots as a springboard for achieving their dreams.

“I thought, how special would it be to come not only share my career on the news, but to also tell them about my career as an author and hopefully inspire them to keep reading, to keep writing,” Ordaz said. “…and to show that even if you come from a small town, you can still do big things and have the support of a small community.”

The story read to students, also titled in Spanish “El Rey Del Carrusel Y La Misión Espacial,” follows a young boy named Maxton, who overcomes his fear of riding a carousel at the zoo and embarks on a space-themed adventure to become the “carousel king.”

Ordaz told students her book was inspired by real events involving her son, also named Maxton. At just 9 years old, fueled by his love for the Sacramento Zoo carousel, he successfully campaigned for a carousel in Old Town Sacramento by writing to city officials.

Her hope, Ordaz said, is that students walk away from the reading believing in themselves and begin thinking about pursuing higher education.

“I hope this journey presents them with many opportunities to see someone that looks like them that went to college first generation…” Ordaz said. “I hope this inspires them to think beyond.”

Principal Laura Marquez said Ordaz’s visit gave students an opportunity to learn from a strong role model, highlighting Ordaz’s dedication to bilingual storytelling.

“She’s a great role model for the youth of Galt, and for the youth who are bilingual and bicultural,” Marquez said.

Preschool and transitional kindergarten students gathered in the Fairsite Elementary cafeteria on Jan. 7 as Leticia Ordaz shared career stories and read her book.

“Leticia did an excellent job of making two languages, English and Spanish, equally important as she read the books bilingually, and interacted with the children in the same way,” she added.

The visit marked a full-circle moment, as a small-town native with big dreams returned to the school where her journey began, showing local students that they, too, can achieve great things.