I went to PPL because my friend Levi introduced me to it. We explored the floors and old areas. He also introduced me to a librarian, Bonnie Lilienthal, who works in the Teen Room. She introduced me to PPL’s Rhode Coders 2.0 program. Lots of introducing! I got into the program and went to the Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Soon, I started going more often to get school work done. It helped tremendously.
Getting more involved with the Library allowed me to discover more opportunities, such as the Rhode Coders class. I was able to make new friends and step into the world of coding. There I was able to get digital badges that can go on my resume and I got a summer job with Intra City Geeks (which happened because I earned the digital badges.)
Bonnie is a really nice person. I owe a lot to her. She not only helped me find some books but also introduced me to the Library’s coding and pretty much brought me into the world of opportunities I have now. I really hope people don’t just look at PPL as “just some library.” PPL is a forest of opportunities available to explore. I can’t reiterate it enough: PPL really changed my life. In middle school I’d go home every day and be on my laptop. Now I am trying new things and doing a lot of things other people couldn’t do years ago, such as the ACN courses. Going to the Library brought me into that world.