When Soontornvat received the news, the Trinity alum said she was in the middle of writing. According to her, she was so excited and honored to hear about her achievement.

“When I got the call, I was so surprised,” Soontornvat said. “It means a lot to me because my time at Trinity was so special and so formative and I know that the university has graduated so many incredible people who have gone on to do wonderful things in the world.”

Soontornvat has been in the writing industry for around 20 years. With numerous accolades in her field, and best-sellers such as the “Diary of an Ice Princess” series, “The Try-out” and “All Thirteen,” post-graduate life for Soontornvat has been one full of storytelling. Tapping into her time working with kids and being a student at Trinity as inspiration, Soontornvat reflected on what past experiences shaped her career choice.

“I would volunteer to read with kids after school, or be an after-school buddy, and I did a lot of babysitting for professors while I was attending Trinity,” Soontornvat said. “But, it really wasn’t until later when I got out of school and started working. I started volunteering at a children’s museum and that changed my trajectory a lot. I decided that’s what I wanted to do, and I worked in children’s museums for 10 years.”

According to her, she cherished the experience of telling stories to kids and a lightbulb sparked in her head that made her realize what she really wanted to do in life. Through key moments of storytelling with her nieces and other young readers, Soontornvat approaches her writing with a key mission in mind.

“My main goal every time I write a book is to write a story that absolutely captivates kids. Just takes them right out of the world and puts them in those pages. That’s what I remember so much about reading as a kid was that I could be someone else in a book — I could step into someone’s shoes,” Soontornvat said. “I think books are incredible at teaching you how to empathize with other people.”

As she writes for children of all ages, Soontornvat said she sets out to instill a belief in the youth that everyone has a story to tell and that anything is possible. Looking back, the author recalled a lack of representation in the literary world and how her career has now changed her viewpoint on the world.

“I never thought about being an artist when I was young. I didn’t know anyone who was making a living as an artist growing up, and I didn’t know anyone who was like me, daughter of immigrants, Asian American. I did not see that, so I didn’t see that for myself,” Soontornvat said. “I feel like it’s just opened my eyes to how much life changes, how much life is unexpected and you just have to be ready and prepared to jump at a chance when you get it.”

According to Soontornvat, one of the highlights of her career was interviewing “The Giver” and “Number of the Stars” author Lois Lowry at an event. There, she noticed a fandom that spanned generations — full of supporters from all ages. She said she admired how Lowry is still working to improve as a creator in doing what she loves.

“To me, it was so beautiful that even in her 80s, she is still trying to get better. She’s not standing still,” Soontornvat said. “So that’s what I hope, I hope that I’ll still be in my 80s, or 90s, or even 100s, and I’m still going to be working on something.”

For Christina, coming back to Trinity will feel as if she just left. She said that she hopes to see past mentors there for a nostalgic reunion as her homecoming awaits.