On Friday, December 3rd, the 8th graders got to meet Caitlin Alifirenka, one of the authors of the memoir, I Will Always Write Back through a video conference. It is true that Caitlin will always write back! 8th grade students were able to ask her any additional questions they had after the Webex through messaging her on social media and she answered! During the Webex, we were able to ask her any questions we had. Students volunteered by raising their hand and standing up at their desk to ask a question.

Some common questions asked were if she has been to Zimbabwe, if she is still in touch with Wallace (Martin’s old friend), and many more! Caitlin hasn’t been to Zimbabwe just yet but she hopes to visit soon! She did have a trip scheduled for 2020 but due to Covid, it got canceled. She also is still in touch with Wallace. He actually lives just down the street from her and her family in Pennsylvania which is so cool! It was also asked what Caitlin’s reaction was when she found out that Martin ate rabbit before since she has many pet bunnies and she loves them dearly! She replied that she was obviously shocked and disgusted at first. She also shared with us a funny story. When Martin met her two little daughters, he joked around with them about how he would eat their pet bunnies! She said it was hilarious but her daughters were scared! She also said that her daughters love Martin and they have such a great relationship with him which she is really happy about.

Caitlin also shared with us another heartwarming moment she experienced. She was lucky enough to have met Martin’s parents, but not the rest of his family yet! She was so excited to meet them and she even has a video of her meeting them posted on her instagram. Overall, all of the classes enjoyed meeting Caitlin and they were all glad we were able to talk to her about this wonderful story!