Meet Sophia Fan, 17: Books under stairs inspired nonprofit sharing 7,000+

Nobody would have thought that a forgotten cupboard of books under the stairs would give someone an idea that would eventually reach thousands of children in the United States and other countries. The 17-year-old student from Urbana, Maryland, Sophia Fan, started collecting and redistributing used books when she was just 13, and her initiative, Literacy Cycle, has now donated more than 7,000 books in just four years.What began with books that were no longer in use has grown into a nonprofit that collects Advanced Placement (AP) textbooks, SAT preparation materials and children’s books for young people who may not have easy access to them. According to PEOPLE, Literacy Cycle has expanded beyond Maryland, with chapters in five other US states and an international chapter in Rwanda.How a cupboard full of old books inspired the initiativeFan, now a senior at Urbana High School, had been surrounded by books since childhood.