After writing and posting two articles on Odyssey I figured it was time to give a formal introduction, well not so formal because my writing style only allows so much. My name is Christina Perez, I'm studying biochemistry with a minor in Human Development and Family Science, I want to become a doctor, mainly because I want to help people, but also because I love science, those things paired with the fact that I love to learn (not school, just learning) lead me to decide to study medicine.

What I want to discuss in this article is why I even take the time to write. I've always loved to write, every day I would write a chapter in a book. I must have filled a hundred journals with books that I have written. I'm glad I don't know where they are because they are probably really horrible, actually I know they are really horrible. I wasn't really into writing diary entries, I didn't find reviewing my day really helpful to debrief, plus anyone could read my diary and know my deep personal thoughts (I don't know what 11 year old has deep personal thoughts but.....whatever). When I wrote it was a way that I could let go of what happened that day, resolve things that were otherwise left unresolved. It gave me a lot a peace.

One of the things I struggled with was not having much validation for my writing. My seventh-grade teacher really encouraged me to write and gave me a sense that I knew what I was doing and that I should work harder on my craft. You only get a few teachers like that in a lifetime. My high school experience with writing wasn't as good. I struggled a lot, I did well on papers but it really crushed my ambition to write. I didn't realize until I went to college that writing takes a lot of you, and having affirmation from the person who grades your paper saying that what you are receiving is feedback and not an act of criticism. Although I had a good relationship with my high school English teachers, I didn't have a large enough personality to draw much attention. My writing became mundane, unorganized and unmotivated.

My saving grace in high school was the Literary Magazine. I got to write, I had excuses to write and I learned a lot about poetry; which is my favorite thing to write now. It was something I never got to do in the normal classroom. I could write novels about how Literary Magazine supplemented my high school experience but that's not for today.

I've begun to question why I do this, why did I decide to write for Odyssey, why do I write if only a few people will read it. If I'm lucky. Why do I create and discuss things that are important to me? This goes back to what I talked about earlier, I didn't write novels at 11 because I thought that they were going to get published. I wrote because it was a way for me to understand my day. I don't write for anyone but myself, hoping that it will resonate with someone along the way. I write to reflect, I write to understand, but most importantly I write what I want to write, and I don't care if you like it.