"I hope I can help inspire people to go for their dreams," says the Olympian

Laurie Hernandez Has Written a Book — and PEOPLE Has a First Look!

“I hope I can help inspire people to go for their dreams,” the gold medalist, 16, tells PEOPLE of why she wanted to chronicle her journey from New Jersey to the Rio Olympics. “It was really fun to go down memory lane and reflect on how I got to where I am.”

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The memoir, I Got This: To Gold and Beyond, won’t be released until January, but PEOPLE has an exclusive First Look at the book’s cover.

Image zoom Courtesy HarperCollins Courtesy Harpers Collins

“People have seen me at my best, but I don’t think most of them know everything that it took to get me to where I am today,” says Hernandez.

The gymnast will share how she overcame injuries and nerves to win Olympic gold and detail what it’s like being home-schooled growing up in New Jersey.