Bio: Hello! This is where I need to switch points of view and speak in the third person so it appears someone else wrote this. I’ll attempt to fascinate you without too much humdrum.
Levi Leyba was born in West Covina, California, and raised in an unincorporated area within the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County. Levi attended local public schools and graduated from Westwood College in Anaheim, California, with an Associate in Science (AS) in Graphic Design & Multimedia.
After college, he utilized his knowledge of coloring within the lines by working for a steel manufacturing business as a Desktop Publisher, eventually moving into Product Development. This role afforded him the opportunity to travel frequently to the Jiangsu Province in eastern China, exposing him to significant cultural shocks. Shortly after September 11, 2001, he was introduced to reading while on a routine flight to Shanghai. Following one of his trips, he sat down with his best friend and fiancée to discuss their future and set goals.
Four years later, Levi and his fiancée moved to Arizona, where he leveraged his design and business knowledge to start multiple businesses, including a graphic design and marketing firm, while also flipping houses. In 2007, he married his best friend in Ko Olina, Hawaii, with a small group of family and friends. In 2008, the subprime mortgage crisis struck the global financial world, leading him to focus on his marketing business and reduce his involvement in real estate. At the end of 2008, he decided it was time to write a book on teaching others how to start their own businesses from home. This book was titled 142 Small Businesses You Can Start on the Weekend or In Your Spare Time.
In 2011, Levi decided to return to school to obtain his bachelor’s degree. Continuing to run his design and marketing firm, he often employed his teachers on large projects he couldn’t complete due to being enrolled in their classes. In 2012, he obtained his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Visual Communications and founded a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Guardian Angel Council, Inc. This non-profit allowed him to continue giving back to the community and improve the welfare of disadvantaged populations. 2012 was also the year he and his wife welcomed their first child, whom he affectionately called “my bachelor’s baby.”
In 2015, Levi became a student at Wilkes University. During his final research paper required for graduation, he conducted a study on literacy, focusing on the Impact of Early Childhood Literacy and Its Relationship to Educational & Economic Success. This research provided him with insights into how literacy affects not only individuals but also nations and the world. After many sleepless nights, he graduated in 2016 with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. 2016 was also the year he and his wife welcomed their second child, whom he referred to as “my master’s baby.”
With an MBA, Levi had the opportunity to become an adjunct professor at Maricopa Community Colleges, where he taught courses on Starting and Operating a Small Business and substituted for other professors in the marketing department. While teaching a class on the formation of corporations, he demonstrated how easily his students could form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) online without paying exorbitant fees. This LLC he created in class would later become the publishing company for his future Young Series children’s books, Grasshoppers Observe Dragonflies Publishing House (G.O.D. Pub House).
With his marketing firm providing a steady source of income, Levi continued teaching at local community colleges and began writing the first of his series of children’s books he called Young Series. Using his skills as a visual ninja, he also illustrated his books. To date, he has written and illustrated eight bilingual children’s books, which he provides at no charge to children at Title I Elementary Schools across the nation through partnerships with local organizations. He has been featured on local television and in newspapers for his Young Series bilingual children’s books and has received the AWeber Big Impact Award for his book program. His passion for literacy was just the beginning of his journey.
In 2018, at the age of 40, Levi decided to follow his passion for community service and, with his wife’s blessing (happy wife, happy life), he applied for a position in law enforcement. After graduating from the police academy at 41-years of age, his journey into law enforcement began.
In 2022, after publishing Young Frida Kahlo and Young Amelia Earhart, Levi began working on his next book to help others who may want to publish their own children’s books. The Quick Guide to Publishing Your Own Children’s Book was written and illustrated by him and is available in paperback and hardcover on Amazon.com.
Today, you will find Levi continuing to fulfill his two passions: literacy and community. In between being a dedicated law enforcement professional, author, and illustrator, you will see him running trails and spending time with his family (in no particular order). Oh, also, Levi loves a good IPA from time to time.
