Vibrant Nation

my bio

Like many of the people I write about, I'm a classic late bloomer. I dropped out of college (a story in itself), married young, and ended up at Harvard--as a secretary, not a student. Twelve years later, tired of doing clerical work, I enrolled at Georgetown University and earned a B.A. and M.A. in English. After graduating at age 38, I became an English teacher.

Then in Jan. of 2000 I read a NY Times article about a 65-year-old woman who had waited 39 years to join the Peace Corps and was leaving for a 2-year assignment in Ukraine. Inspired by this woman's persistence and courage, I decided to take my own leap of faith. At age 48, I left my teaching job to write DEFYING GRAVITY. Since its publication, I've given over 80 talks and keynotes in 20 states, including a speech at the United Nations. In 2007 I traveled to Botswana to speak to school and government groups in cooperation with the Peace Corps. Now 54, I continue to research and write about late blooming.

my VN interview

This member has not yet given her VN interview.

a postcard to my younger self

Dear 54-year old Prill,

Enjoy yourself more, sweetie.  Get a toy box and throw things in it.  Read a funny book.  Sing under a bridge.  Ride a bike.  Eat a raspberry sherbet cone.  Rent a funky house with a porch on a hillside.  Pretend you're a milkman.  Notice the walking stick on the sidewalk and be delighted by it.  Dress up in a crazy costume.  Jump on the bed once in a while.  Drink lemonade through a curly straw.  Celebrate your birthday with a pink cake.  Play, dream, and then play some more.

Love,

8-year old Prill

my role models

Every single one of the wonderful late bloomers I've interviewed; Mohammed Yunus (founder of the Grameen Bank and the concept of micro-financing); and most recently, Susan Page, the 47-year old singer who wowed the judges with her audition for "Britains Got Talent"--to name a few.