Lambert junior Nia Mendonca is a self-published author of two books, and is currently publishing a third children’s biology book. Throughout her career as an author, she has distributed her books across several countries, and is using her books to teach primary biology concepts to children in India. With her books, Mendonca aspires to spread awareness about the true origins of biological health issues, and improve the public approach towards hereditary diseases.

Mendonca’s writing journey began in seventh grade, when she published “Amongst the Runaways,” a historical fiction book exploring different perspectives during the Holocaust. A couple years later in ninth grade, Mendonca dived into the murder mystery genre with her poetry book “A Nightmare’s Daydream,” centering on a serial killer and his quest for vengeance. Her most recent book is “Simplified Science: Organelles and the Endosymbiotic Theory,” a children’s biology book meant to spread awareness about the causes of common fatal diseases in India. She plans to publish a line of biology books discussing these issues.

“I decided to pursue writing to spread awareness,” Mendonca explained. “I was a little lost on how to do that in the beginning, trying out several genres from historical fiction to murder mystery, and I think deciding on biology is perfect for me.”

Mendonca was inspired to create a line of children’s biology books from her visit to India in the summer of 2025. While visiting her home country, she realized that many people consider terminal illnesses, such as cancer and other hereditary diseases, as taboo. The reputation of these health issues can cause individuals to be shunned from society and their families, making it more difficult for people to receive proper funding and care for their illnesses.

Mendonca aims to educate people in her community about the true causes of biological illnesses and debunk the social restrictions surrounding these illnesses. She also intends to create a more supportive community for people dealing with life-threatening illnesses through her books, by acknowledging that many of these diseases are caused by biological issues, not personal life choices. To target these goals, Mendonca is gearing her book content more towards children with colorful visuals and easy-to-follow explanations of biological processes.

“Social restrictions influence parents way more, while their children are more open-minded,” Mendonca noted. “And I feel like if I explain it in a way that children can understand, then it’s changing the next generation’s view.”

With her line of biology books, Mendonca hopes to influence the perspectives of future generations to create a society better geared towards helping patients overcome their illnesses. To make her books accessible to widespread communities across India, Mendonca has helped develop the non-profit, Little Learners. Little Learners prints and distributes hundreds of books a year, including Mendonca’s books and books from other young authors in the program, to undereducated communities in India. They are currently planning to expand their programs reach with book distribution missions in South America and Africa.

Surrounding the mission behind her biology books and the Little Learners program, Mendonca was elected to give a speech at the AJ Institute of Hospital Management in India this past summer. She delivered the speech to the institute’s college students, explaining her writing and publishing process, and how she is contributing to the growth in knowledge of healthcare systems in India.

“Being able to see them understand what I’m trying to do, and encouraging them was one of my biggest achievements,” Mendonca said. “Because knowing that I can actually make a difference, I don’t think anything beats that feeling.”

By combining her love for writing and passion in improving society’s treatment of the diseased, Mendonca has helped raise awareness about common terminal illnesses in India, with the outreach and impact of her mission expanding along with the growth of the Little Learners program. Using her unique skillset and passions, Mendonca has and continues to help communities across the globe, being a model citizen well beyond Lambert’s walls.

This story was originally published on The Lambert Post on October 30, 2025.