Becoming an English major was one of the easiest and most obvious decisions I’ve gotten to make in my life so far. Everything about the field just calls my name, from reading Shakespearean sonnets to correcting simple grammar mistakes, I love it all. Though with great things come struggles, and boy are there a lot of those.

The most irritating of them all, however, is everyone assuming I want to be a teacher when I tell them of my major. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a teacher, yet everyone assumes that that is the only thing an English major can do after college. It definitely is not and the path I am excited to take after graduating is becoming an author.

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Ever since I was a child I have always adored reading. Anytime I have a free moment you can find me somewhere with a book in my hand. While everyone else is out shopping at the mall, I am most likely browsing my favorite sections in Barnes and Noble. Reading for me is so much more than just words on a page. Every story has a purpose and once I start something, it is impossible to pull me away from whatever world the book encompasses me in.

It has always been so obvious to me that I want to create a world of my own and share it with others, as was done with me. To be able to bring happiness, emotional rollercoasters or just an escape for a couple of hours to someone is basically my way of passing on my feelings and emotions about reading for someone else to experience.

Throughout life everyone has people they look up too. Whether it’s movie stars, singers or professional athletes, everyone has their “person” that they want to be. My idols have always been authors. J.K. Rowling, being the obvious choice, has been my number one person since I opened the first Harry Potter book years ago. Back then I admired the story. Now, I admire both the story and the writing itself.

Though I know it is nearly impossible to achieve her level of writing, I aspire to inspire others the way she did for me. Others that have shaped the person I am becoming are Chuck Palahniuk and Margaret Atwood (Thank you Mrs. Jaquish and Ms. Dye for introducing her writing to me). These two changed the rules of writing in my mind. Both challenged the norms and beautifully got away with it. Many other writers have influenced my life and I can only hope to wiggle myself into their brilliant world in between the lines.

These things combined with my love for writing make it hard to imagine myself doing anything else with my life. Becoming an author is definitely my dream and I know it will be a tough road, but I am willing to take the risk. So many people warn me of the chance of failure and I smile politely and remind them that there is risk of failure with everything one does in life. It is the mindset and determination that one goes into a situation with that decides the outcome. We just need to remember that anything is possible if we set our minds to it.