Week 6: J.K. Rowling

October 11, 2010:  Diversity is any kind of variety that makes our world a better place. 

Sometimes diversity comes in the form of an amazing individual who overcomes periods of suffering to achieve great success.  Joanne Murray was born in England in 1965.  After finishing her schooling, she had no luck building a career.  When she was 25, her mother died, causing her to fall into depression.  She later entered into a marriage that lasted one year.  At times, she needed government assistance.

But Ms. Murray loved to write.  She had been writing fantasy stories ever since she was a child.  Her big break came in 1997, when a London company published her first book—but only 1000 copies of it, and only under a pseudonym that hid the fact that she was a woman (so boys wouldn’t be scared away).  Her book became an overnight sensation, and 12 years ago this week, an American company in New York City began  publishing the same book:  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, written by J.K. Rowling.  The rest is history, or you could say, her-story. 

Remember, you don’t have to travel as far as England or New York City to find diversity.  There are hundreds of opportunities to celebrate diversity right here in your own school.  Find one today!