By Ayan Sheikh, DC National Guard
WASHINGTON — Most children bring home souvenirs from a European vacation. Staff Sgt. Trina Quirindongo and her then 6-year-old daughter, Jade, brought home a story worth publishing.
What began as a mother-daughter adventure across Europe—with passports, planes, trains and a few unexpected detours—eventually took flight as “Mommy and Me Take Flight,” a children’s book inspired by their travels together.
Developed during the coronavirus pandemic, the book became the pair’s way of sharing the joy of travel at a time when much of the world had temporarily stopped moving. More importantly, Sgt. Quirindongo, a 113th Wing District of Columbia Air National Guard member, wanted young readers to understand that adventure, discovery and the wider world are not reserved for adults.
“We wanted to show parents, and more importantly children, that there’s no age limit to traveling; and for children to know that the world was there for them to explore.”
Their story begins where many international trips do: at home. Sgt. Quirindongo and her daughter use the opening pages to introduce children to the preparations that come with traveling somewhere new.
“We talk about packing your suitcase and having your passport ready to go and the excitement that builds up the night before the big flight,” she said.
The journey then moves readers through London, where Sgt. Quirindongo and Jade had a long layover. And we learn that instead of spending their time wondering through the walls of Heathrow Airport, Sgt. Qurindongo took her daughter sightseeing across the city.
“We had to a stop at Legoland…and then a stop at Windsor Castle, and that was Jade’s first time ever seeing a castle,” she exclaimed. “We even visited a beautiful lavender field.”
Readers are then transported to Germany, the main reason for the duo’s family trip, and we learn that Sgt. Qurindongo’s daughter hears the German language for the very first time.
“Just imagine going to a whole new country, and you’re still learning how to read in English [as a six-year-old], but now that you’re in a foreign country, you’re also learning new words in a new language. My daughter loved it, and I enjoyed seeing her exposed to something new so young,” she said.
Sgt. Quirindongo and Jade’s adventures take an exciting turn with an unplanned trip to Paris, France on a yet another mode of transportation: the train.
“Our story is letting you know that you can get a lot done with a little bit of time and still have a great time,” she explained. “So, each moment we were able to decompress, we were able to adapt to delays and explore.
The same idea has followed Sgt. Quirindongo into her military service.
She has traveled farther than she once imagined she would, including a deployment to the Middle East. She said that experience required her to adjust to uncertainty and work alongside people whose backgrounds and experiences differed from her own.
Sgt. Quirindongo also shared she did not set out to become a children’s book author. Her academic background is in business management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bowie State University and later received a master’s degree from Howard University. Her writing experience before the book was limited largely to contributing to her school newspaper. But she said she wrote the book with the purpose to inspire and allow the reader to bond over commonality and shared principles.
“It really just came from a genuine interest of just wanting to share that love of traveling, and me being a mom, I wanted to give her that ability to share what she saw with others.”
She also added that at its heart the book is about giving children a sense of possibility. “Many children know their own neighborhoods, cities or states intimately. The rest of the world can seem distant, expensive or simply beyond reach. I wanted to challenge that assumption,” she said.
In the summer of 2026, Sgt. Quirindongo and her daughter, Jade, now 13 years old, were among 100 Marylanders invited to attend the first ever #ReadMoreMaryland Campaign Summer Reading celebration at Government House in Annapolis, hosted by Maryland Governor Wes Moore and First Lady Dawn Moore.
“We were able to speak with other authors and engage with literary experts and resources. The governor and first lady even signed our books,” she said.
She believes books are a gateway to education, enrichment and bonding. Her hope is that children who read “Mommy and Me Take Flight” will see unfamiliarity differently. A foreign language can be an invitation to learn. And a new country can be a place to discover something that feels unexpectedly familiar. And the story resonates with Sgt. Quirindongo’s military service.
“I’ve deployed once to the Middle East and going that far across the globe was something I would never have done alone. Our book translates to military service because it opens your eyes up to the world and teaches you resilience,” she shared.
For Sgt. Quirindongo, being a Citizen Airman, writer and mother are connected by a common purpose: service and the opportunity to inspire others. In uniform, she serves her community and country; as an author, she uses storytelling to encourage children to see a world filled with possibilities. Whether serving alongside fellow Airmen, exploring a new country with her daughter or sharing those experiences through the pages of a book, Sgt. Quirindongo hopes to inspire others to embrace unfamiliar experiences, remain curious and recognize that their own journeys can take them farther than they ever imagined.
