My Student Experience: How Teachers Inspired Constantina Pappas to Publish a Fantasy Novel at 16, Choose Education

Constantina Pappas, a first-year elementary education major, loves losing herself in the fantasy worlds of her favorite books. When she was a freshman at Syosset High School in Long Island, New York, she wrote a novel of her own, but left it alone until her creative writing teacher, Mrs. Brice, suggested she publish her work. Pappas never expected what would happen next. 

“I submitted my manuscript and then, in May of 2021, [the publishing company] reached out to me, and they were like, we think it’s something great,” Pappas said. 

Pappas’ novel, Heartheaded, is about a society that revolves around the Zodiac sign each character is born under and it was published by Atmosphere Press in December 2021. 

“I always wanted to be an author, but I didn’t know that I would be an author at 16,” Pappas said.

While Pappas might not have expected the success she would achieve as an author, her teachers did. 

“One of the main reasons that I became an author was because of my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Albanese,” Pappas said. “She was like, ‘you could do something with this’ … Ever since then, I’ve just always loved elementary school and elementary school teachers. I feel like they have such a big impact because you’re so young, but I remember all of them, and I want to be that person for someone in the future.”

When Papas found out she had been accepted into the NC State College of Education, she committed immediately with plans to earn her bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

“I knew that this is exactly what I wanted to do,” Pappas said. “The College of Education program is just so amazing. It’s so good.”

As a first-year student, she cannot wait to grow in her field.

“I am looking forward to getting into the elementary education-specific classes, meeting people who are elementary education majors and seeing what they want to do, like what grades they want to teach, and how they’re planning on running their classrooms,” Pappas said. 

When Pappas thinks about the teacher she wants to become, she thinks not only of Mrs. Brice and Mrs. Albanese, but also her high school chorus teacher, Mrs. Garnar, who she could go to for anything. 

“I just want to be that person that they know will help them because a lot of people just don’t have that,” Pappas said.

Pappas had Mrs. Garnar for all four years of high school, and she still sings — she will be part of the ensemble when NC State’s University Theatre debuts Peter and the Starcatcher on Oct. 19. 

“We have a whole thing where we turn into mermaids,” Pappas said. “And then they’re singing in the show, too, so I have to sing a little solo, which I’m super excited to do.”

Whether it is a passion for writing or a desire to take the stage, Pappas wants to serve the same role for children that the educators in her life played for her. 

“When it comes to teaching younger kids, I’m going to be able to inspire them because I want to be that teacher who unlocks an interest in somebody,” Pappas said. 

Because Pappas, who is working on her second novel, knows the impact a teacher can make.