FROM MODELING AND professional acting to writing for Orange County Catholic and starring in school musicals at St. Catherine of Siena, Rosalia Ripullo grew up trying out as many avenues as she could to express herself creatively.
Now she has found a new creative venture: publishing her first children’s book.
But the book isn’t new; she came up with the idea as a teenager at JSerra Catholic High School.
“I was always surrounded by stories, so I think what I found there is a power in stories and writing,” Ripullo said. “I kind of wanted to figure out what that looked like for me.”
Ripullo, now 19, has used her Catholic school foundation and love of stories to publish “H Goes to Mexico,” a colorful children’s book that follows the cartoon letter H’s journey down south to find out how and when its special sound is used in the Spanish language.
Ripullo was inspired by her own journey learning Spanish. Growing up speaking Italian and English — her family is from the Calabria region of Italy — she started learning Spanish around second grade at the now-closed St. Catherine of Siena school in Laguna Beach.
She continued studying Spanish through high school at JSerra. It was her Spanish teacher stressing the importance of H not being pronounced that inspired the book.
Ripullo wrote “H Goes to Mexico” when she was 15 and it was recently picked up by a boutique publishing house. She also got to work with an illustrator and loved the collaborative process.
“It was really awesome because they just wanted to do it traditionally,” she said, adding later, “It was so great to see the colors in real life … it’s like holding a baby, almost.”
Ripullo said there will be a second book — maybe even a series. She wants to keep writing for as long as the ideas keep coming, but she is also busy with other creative pursuits. She is currently in her final year at New York University where she is studying film, including screenwriting. She has also continued acting.
Ripullo said she continues practicing her Catholic faith at NYU and hopes to visit Diocese of Orange Catholic schools when she is back in California to read her book aloud to students. Her Catholic faith and Catholic education mean a lot to her.
“I feel really lucky that I had the experience of a Catholic education, and I think it’s something that everyone who’s experienced it knows — it’s a really lucky thing to have,” Ripullo said.
She also credits her parents for nurturing her creative pursuits at a young age. When she wanted to try child acting and modeling, her mom made it work. Then in high school, during COVID, when she wanted to start taking creative writing classes at Santa Monica College, her mom figured that out too. She feels trying different avenues is crucial.
“I think it’s really important to try everything when you are young if you can, if you have the opportunity to do it,” Ripullo said. “I’m grateful for everything I tried out. It’s helped me in every way, even for this book. It helped me get the confidence to do it.”