Biochemistry student writes children’s book

In early 2015, Bobbie-Angela Wong was in a California facility being treated for anorexia nervosa. Unhappy and far from home, she reached out to a former teacher for guidance.

“He told me: ‘You love to write. Write a poem. Write in a journal. Use the coping skills,’” she recalls.

Wong sat down, put pen to paper and wrote a rhyming poem about a hippopotamus named Holly.

“I started writing about body image because that’s what I was dealing with at the time,” Wong says. “It became a story about a hippo who didn’t like her appearance, but learned that friends are your friends because of who you are inside, not what you look like. That’s the message that I needed to learn as I went through my treatment for anorexia.”

More than a year later, Wong’s story has become a children’s book called Holly the Hippo. The 21-year-old from Tappan, N.Y., is not only a published author, but she is managing her eating disorder and returned to Harpur College as a senior biochemistry major.

“I’ve learned that anything is possible,” she says. “This is something I would not have dreamed of in 100 years.”

Wong (known to family and friends as “Angel”) always knew that she wanted to attend Binghamton University. An older cousin attended the University, while Wong’s sister Janine Bautista ’12, MS ’13, is an alumna who now works on campus as the assistant director of career services for the School of Management.

Wong also knew that she wanted to study biochemistry in the hopes of someday becoming a pediatrician. She discovered the joy of children while working at an ice cream parlor.

“I started managing birthday parties there when I was (a teen),” she says. “It’s the perfect fit: I love science and I love children. Pediatrics is the perfect job for me.”

Wong was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at age 14 and has been in and out of treatment facilities since then. The disorder reached the point where Wong had to leave Binghamton University for a year and a half for treatment.

Writing Holly the Hippo in California proved to be the turning point for Wong.

“I gave the poem to my therapist, who said: ‘This is great. You need to publish this.’ My teacher said the same thing…I kept getting the same responses, so I decided to go ahead and find a publisher.

“I thought: If I can explain to someone how I want this to be made, it could be a beautiful book that sends a message to children.”

Wong reached out to Page Publishing in Staten Island. The company liked the story about a hippopotamus taking part in a class assignment and learning that friends such as Daphne the Deer like and admire her for all the right reasons. Wong left the treatment facility in April 2015 and began working with an illustrator on the book’s pictures. Holly the Hippo became pink when joined by classroom friends such as Daphne the Deer, Tammy the Turtle and Sally the Snake. Wong did not see the finished book until it was delivered to her the day after Thanksgiving 2015.

Holly the Hippo is now available at online outlets such as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Wong returned to Binghamton University in summer 2015. Despite missing significant time, she still plans to graduate in December 2016.

She credits Binghamton University with giving a biochemistry student the ability to become a writer. “Binghamton has offered so many different classes to me,” she says. “It opened my eyes to different experiences. As a Harpur College student, I love that we have general-education requirements. They bring you into courses that you may not have thought you would take. That’s one of the things that inspired me to do this book and take a step in a different direction.”