Author Visit at Lea University-Assisted Community School 

“One does not have to be good at everything, but everyone is great at something.” The final sentence in his book and the message of resilience that John George Armstrong, a 2014 graduate of the Downingtown STEM Academy and 2018 graduate of the Universiyt of Pennsylvania, shares with young people from his newly published book, The Penn Quaker’s Homecoming.  From 2014-2018, John George served as the University of Pennsylvania Quaker mascot.

Students today face incredible stress to be high achievers in the classroom, on the field, and in all activities. Whether these challenges are big or small, the juggling act is difficult to balance. Like many young people, John George experienced such challenges of his own in high school and college, learning that building resilience was his best defense. However, he witnessed peers that had not built resilience crumble as a consequence. To help others learn to overcome setbacks, John George published a children’s book to spread happiness through his message of resilience and to inspire the next generation of students.

To promote positive mental health to young people, his book features the Penn Quaker mascot navigating three distinct challenges academically, athletically, and socially. These setbacks cause the Quaker to question his ability to succeed; however, the spirit of the Homecoming football game helps the Quaker to realize his own special set of talents as he cheers on the crowd. John George hopes that his readers will have a “homecoming” of their own as they realize their special talents and let them shine. One does not have to be good at everything, but everyone is great at something!

John George has shared his message at many elementary schools to inspire students to embrace their talents and become more resilient. 

He will speak to children participating in the Netter Center's summer University-Assisted Community Schools programming at Lea Elementary School on July 30th, where he will describe the process of creating a children's book and his experience as a college mascot, as well as promote the book's message of developing resilience. The program will include a reading of the book followed by questions from the students, who who have been working on their own books throughout the summer.