Everyone has their beginnings, so I suppose this is mine.

Before bed when my sister and I were little, my mother would read us a story. I can remember listening to her voice as she read A Wrinkle in Time, A Dog Called Kitty, and even Skippyjon Jones. Back then, I didn’t have to worry about loans, or college, and bleh, my taxes. It was a way for me to escape from my own world, and that’s why I loved it so much.

Third grade was when I really got into reading. You have those kids that are interested in Junie B. Jones and The Magic Treehouse Club, and don’t get me wrong, I read those too, but Goosebumps was what took hold and dragged me into a corner. I was petrified of the books, and yet, no matter the nightmares, I would find myself trying to read as many as I could. R.L. Stine put magic onto a page.

Life from then on was clearly filled with books, but what changed was an interest in writing as well. The first story I really wanted to be good was about a girl who could travel to different worlds, but these worlds were dedicated to the seasons and she was the only one that could go. It gave me incentive to write whenever I could, and as much as I could.

When I reached high school, there were more opportunities for me to broaden my writing horizon. A local writing contest called Hills and Valleys Magazine would ask for submissions once a year, and since seventh grade, I made sure that I wrote a story. Out of the six years I was in the high school, I won first place five times, and the other second. I started branching out and submitting work to places like The America Library of Poetry, and am even published in a few of their volumes (“Illustrious”, “Expressions”).

Looking on various other writing platforms, I came across Wattpad, a writing website for those who wanted to read and write content made by other people who aspired to be authors. As a young writer, it made me want to see what I could create, and if the general public was interested in what I published. One of the stories I wrote, called A Sky Full of Blue, has really made an impact, and hopefully in the future, I will be able to actually publish.

As I got older and reading was still my favorite pastime, I began to browse the collective works of Stephen King. I am absolutely terrified of horror stories, movies, and anything scary in general, but for some reason, my interest was piqued. One of the very first books I read was It, and the thousand pages were worth it. After that I decided that I wanted to become an author, and Stephen King became my idol. Whenever I think down about myself for not getting out there as a writer, I think about the fact that Stephen King was once a poor teacher, before his very first novel Carrie came out.

What really made me want to continue my path with writing and literature in general was my high school English teacher my senior year in high school. She was an incredibly small woman with one of the biggest voices I have ever heard. She taught me to love The Importance of Being Earnest, and Frankenstein, but to hate Wuthering Heights. She solidified any doubt I had about choosing my major to be English.

After applying to college and getting accepted to Penn State Wilkes-Barre, I was excited to see what was in store for me. Of course, there were plenty of challenges that came my way my first and second years. As a first year, COVID was still in full effect, and from time to time I would be sent into quarantine because of my roommates. My second year, Penn State Wilkes-Barre terminated the English major because I was the only student in the program. It made me work harder, and I took more classes online or through Zoom, but now I am a year ahead in my studies. I have taken summer classes to further my credits, one of which was a Literature of Fantasy class. I wrote the paper “What is Reality?” which is published on my page as well. I will be able to graduate in Spring 2024 instead of Spring 2025. I am still in the English program, but enrolled online at a different campus.

Throughout my college experience I have taken many classes that broadened my horizons, and the way I see literature. I’ve taken Creative Writing, Rhetoric, and even a class for Medieval Drama! As I get into more classes tailored to the English major, I realize that I was right in my decision to keep my major the same, even though it became terminated at my campus. As a third year taking six classes and reading about 200 pages a week, I am more concrete in my love for reading and writing.

I’ve also started an Internship with the Communications department at Penn State Wilkes-Barre being their Sports Information Coordinator. I go to sporting events and record data and any interesting information while the games or matches happen. Then I get to write articles on these events that get published to the school’s Athletics webpage. My most recent article is about the women’s volleyball team and their first win of the season. 

Being an English major has made me see many different sides to reading and writing, and I hope that someday I will be able to become a published author. Who knows, you may see my work on bookstore shelves one day!