Meet Leo

💛 A Little About Me

Hey, I'm Leo! I'm 12. I'm enthusiastic, curious and outgoing, and I'm always full of ideas. I love basketball, inventing games, telling stories, science videos and figuring out how things work.

I live with my mom, my dad and my two older brothers, Mateo, who's 16, and Nico, who's 14. Dinner at our house is loud and fun — everybody's telling stories, laughing and debating at the same time. My parents remind us to listen, but I'm used to conversations moving fast.

Sometimes I raise my hand before the question is even finished. Sometimes I forget to raise it at all. When I get an exciting thought, it's really hard to hold on to it while someone else is talking.

⚡ Something That Happened

In my after-school science club, I came up with an idea: a mini amusement-park ride built from recycled materials.

I waited while the other kids talked. I waited… and by the time it was my turn, the group had already picked another project. Someone told me, "We already decided."

I did the right thing — I waited — and I still missed my chance. Now, when I have an idea, I rush to get it out before it's too late.

🏫 In Our Classroom

In class, we were talking about why a character in a story told the truth. Jordan started answering, and I jumped in: "Oh! Because she knew her friend would find out anyway!"

Jordan stopped. My teacher reminded me not to interrupt. I said, "I was just answering!"

Then I pulled back. "Fine. I won't say anything."

🌱 What I'm Learning

I'm learning to jot down a keyword so I don't lose my idea, and then wait for my turn. I'm practicing noticing when someone's still talking, and really listening — listening counts as participating, too.

And when I do interrupt, I'm learning how to repair it: "Sorry, Jordan. I got excited. Finish what you were saying." My voice matters. So does everyone else's.