Busy as a bee: Cherry Hill teen inspires students at Countryside Elementary School

A few years ago, Cherry Hill resident Kyle Dixon III was a fourth grader who could not even write a full sentence.

Dixon was a special needs student who struggled in most of his classes. After beginning homeschool in the sixth grade, his mother, Tiara White, encouraged Kyle to begin writing in a journal.

“She is the one that encouraged me to start writing,” he said.

Today, Kyle is traveling to schools around New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York promoting his very own book.

Kyle appeared at Countryside Elementary School in Mt. Laurel last week to talk to the students about his journey and give out copies of his children’s book “Jay Bubblebee: The Bee Who Started It All.”

Kyle, 13, kicked off his promotional tour on Jan. 7 and plans to travel to more than 50 schools through April. His message to the students talked about how everyone has talents and anyone can do anything they put their mind to.

“You don’t need to be perfect to do great things,” Kyle said to the kids.

Kyle’s journey wasn’t an easy one. He said motivation from his mom and his uncle, Jamal White, was what really pushed him to writing in his journal. Before he began writing, Kyle wasn’t sure where his life was heading.

“I was on a mission to figure out who I was,” he said.

Kyle was able to uncover his writing talent through his journal, and he loved it so much, he began work on “Jay Bubblebee.”

The book is about a bumblebee named Jay who doesn’t have wings. Unable to provide for his family, Jay becomes an entrepreneur and goes on to take over his dad’s shoe business and provide for his family.

Many of the themes in “Jay Bubblebee” go hand in hand with the challenges Kyle has overcome in his life.

“Even though Jay Bubblebee was different, he still could do great things,” Kyle said.

Writing the book wasn’t the only challenge for Kyle. Tiara and Jamal founded Brainchild Publishing to make the book a reality.

Once copies were finally printed, they began using word of mouth to promote the book. So far, Kyle has sold more than 6,000 books since the beginning of 2014.

“We were knocking on doors, going to flea markets and festivals,” Tiara said.

The speaking tour is not simply to promote the book. Kyle said he wants to inspire others so they can be motivated to do something great in their lives.

“Just talking to my peers is amazing,” Kyle said.

Kyle’s presentation had a huge impact on the students at Countryside. They hung onto his every word and came out of the event feeling motivated. Seeing someone close to their age made many students feel they could do what Kyle did.

“I felt inspired because of how he was so young and he could write his own book,” third grader Madeline Rick said.

Fourth grader Grace Browne loves to write and was excited to hear from Kyle. She was even more ecstatic when he came around to sign her book.

“It was so nice for him to come around,” she said. “If I ever have a chance to do that, I will.”

Kyle didn’t just sign for a few students. He signed a book for every student and staff member in attendance. Even Mt. Laurel Deputy Mayor Dennis Riley was excited to have Kyle sign a copy.

Many of the students hope they can one day write a book and speak to their fellow peers like Kyle is doing this year. However, they also understand how difficult the journey can be.

“You have to work for your goals,” fourth-grade student Sreya Kalabala said. “They just don’t happen.”

“Jay Bubblebee: The Bee Who Started It All,” are available for purchase at www.jaybubblebee.com.