Meredith Scott Lynn was wildly smart in school growing up, but she struggled when it came to test-taking.
Lynn quickly threw herself into her creativity and found her way to self-acceptance through writing and acting. Because of her low SAT scores, Lynn wasn't able to go to the colleges she wanted.
"I said, 'So the measure of who I am as a whole human is going to boil down to this test score? That doesn't make sense,'" she said.
Lynn would become a celebrated film and television actor, known for her roles in "Legally Blonde" and "Days of Our Lives."
In this episode of "LA Stories," Lynn opens up to host Giselle Fernandez about the pivot her career took.
Lynn was enjoying a successful acting career when one day, her young niece asked her to read a book — but the book was all illustrations without words. Leaning into her creativity, Lynn created a storyline on the spot. The moment inspired her to put her acting career on hold and create WRiTE BRAiN Books.
"I thought, what a great idea. What if kids, parents, everyone could just write their own children's books?" she said. "Children could interpret the images through their lens, their life experience."
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Today, WRiTE BRAiN Books is in 48 states across the U.S. The innovative educational program helps children tap into their creativity and increase their writing skills by publishing their books. Lynn was able to shake up the education world and prove that kids are so much more than a test score.
Best of all, Lynn says, is the confidence children gain while taking part in the program.
"It's all based on research," she said. "When you give a child of any age color images, imagination goes through the roof, and fear goes out the window."
Watch "LA Stories with Giselle Fernandez" at 9 p.m. every Monday on Spectrum News 1.