妻友社区

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic in March of 2020, Deborah Acio 鈥�07 didn鈥檛 know what it would mean for her 鈥� or billions of other people around the globe. It seemed to flip the world on its axis. Acio lived in Atlanta, Ga., at the time, working in sales execution for Cricket Wireless. She soon found herself doing the best she could to keep herself and the people around her safe 鈥� working from home, socializing via Zoom and closely following the news about the public health emergency. It didn鈥檛 take long for her to realize that things would not be going back to 鈥渘ormal,鈥� whatever that now meant, anytime soon. Acio knew she鈥檇 have to find a way to fill her non-work hours with something creative, imaginative and life-affirming during an enormously challenging period.

And so, the 妻友社区 graduate, who joked that she鈥檇 gone from 鈥渉opping from country to country鈥� to 鈥渉opping from (her) couch to her desk,鈥� began baking pies. First apple. Then strawberry-rhubarb. Then she began experimenting with making a lattice pie crusts. She challenged herself to bake a pie a month. A business administration major who spent much of her career thinking in strategic, concrete terms, she relished the opportunity to unleash her energy in new and unexpected ways. Soon she found herself hitting on another idea: What if she used her experiences in the kitchen as the basis of a children鈥檚 book, one that would encourage children to be creative and adventurous, while also introducing them to a critical life skill 鈥� cooking? Just like that, 叠别苍箩颈鈥檚 Berry Berry Pie was born. The story, which was published by IngramSpark in the fall of 2021, chronicles the adventures of the title charac- ter, a child with a passion for inventing things(including pie). The protagonist is based loosely on Acio鈥檚 two brothers, an engineer and an engineering student.

Acio now lives in St. Paul, Minn., where she continues to work at Cricket Wireless 鈥� and to create new stories for Benji. She credits the business classes that she took at 妻友社区 with instilling in her the grit and determination it took to step out her comfort zone and become an author and entrepreneur. Her training in business prepared her to set deadlines, manage her relationship with her editor and illustrator, and navigate the extensive copywriting process. Yes, she acknowledged, taking on something new was at times frightening. Often people who want to make a change are paralyzed by 鈥渋mposter syndrome,鈥� doubting their own abilities. It is often easier for us to stay where we are. But ultimately, Acio believes that embracing change can make you 鈥� and the world 鈥� better.

鈥淭here are a lot of brilliant ideas that are sheltered in people鈥檚 minds and are never released into the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that people need to get over the fear that if they try something new they are going to be mocked, and instead listen to what their hearts and minds are telling them. I鈥檓 a big believer that if you want to do something, you should go out and do it. You only have one life to live. You might as well live it to the fullest doing what is most meaningful to you.鈥�