I have always been hungry for stories.

My mother would take me to the library as a young girl, and I would consume hundreds of books each month. I was insatiable. As I grew older, I found that these tales, stories, narratives - they become even more powerful when founded in truth, in reality. Reality has the same grandiose tone of a storybook, but what makes it even more amazing is that the events in the story actually happened.

Stories are what inspired me to start exploring our world, and once I did, I discovered an even larger wealth of stories in the countries I visited than in the public library of my humble hometown. I realized that stories are the only thing that can promulgateyour travels. It's impossible to carry an indescribable marvel of nature or an evening with new friends home with you, but it is possible to take the story of the experience.

Stories move people, and that is my hope here with Nova Narratives.

The definition of the word "nova" is the sudden brightening of a previously inconspicuous star. The mission of Nova Narratives is to highlight the lives, stories, and voices of previously inconspicuous people.

I am passionate about helping others and I want to make the world a better place, but when I set out to find ways to help the people in these stories, I faced a problem. I could never find a clear, defined path to how I could help.

Nova Narratives exists to do more than simply share stories, but also to connect its readers to tangible forms of empowerment. It is my hope that you, as a reader, will not only passively skim through these stories, but actively engage in them. If something moves you, dig deeper! There's always more to the story.