Turning Ideas Into Reality

Carmel Valley High Schoolers Unite to Spread Literacy

What happens when young minds like Carmel Valley San Diego community residents Samantha Becorest, Laura Xiao, Christina Alkhass, and Natalie Espinosa turn their ideas into actions?  You get a fun and community building event like the Torrey Hills Book Exchange!  The Torrey Hills Book Exchange is a place where the community can come to share, donate and exchange books. They have been consistently hosting the event for almost five months straight since the launch of their first event in January of 2011.  They plan to hold another exchange in May 2011.  With the leadership of Samantha Becorest, this small idea has turned into a positively impacting project that brings many benefits to the community.  Benefits such as local community involvement, a safe and fun environment for families, and increased traffic for local business in the Torrey Hills Center.  What’s even more impressive about these girls is that the Torrey Hills Book Exchange is part of a larger movement to promote literacy everywhere.

These students come from high schools all over the Carmel Valley San Diego community, and include Canyon Crest Academy and Torrey Pines High School. They have started www.communitybookexchange.org, where they hope to help start other book exchanges, starting with their neighboring communities.  The great part about this story is that all these girls have full-time schedules of there own yet they have taken the time to take action and hope to make a difference in other people’s lives.  How many high schoolers do you know of that would dedicate weekends and after school time to doing something as selfless as starting a community book exchange?  Lets hope this sparks a new movement amongst teenagers and schools throughout all of our county.  If you’re an avid reader or just looking for your next book to dive into, feel free to come to the next event.  Be sure to bring any books you have finished “reading the words out of,” and come support your local book exchange.

For more information, visit and become a fan of their Facebook Fan Page and like it!

David A. Moya is a Carmel Valley San Diego community contributor and influencer for positive change.  As founder of The Carmel Valley Life he focuses on education, transparency and helping others find a voice for their passion.  During his earlier years, he fed his entrepreneurial spirit and founded a company focused on the development of young kids who are committed to peak performance.  David went on to pay for his BA in Finance through his real estate business and after graduating flew more than 30 flights to over 10 countries in order to master the art of communication and business.  Today, he enjoys creating value for his community by leading a movement of responsibility – one of sharing knowledge, stories and a helping hand.