I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was in elementary school. I kept a diary, loved my creative writing class, and entered any writing contest I came across. Two days before my fifth-grade graduation, I came to my homeroom teacher with a speech I had written. No one had asked me to, or even suggested that I do it, but I had wanted to reflect on my six years at my elementary school. After reading it, my teacher asked me to speak in front of everyone at graduation- this was the moment I realized that I wanted to be a journalist.

I joined our middle school and high school newspapers. I entered even more writing contests. I looked forward to writing essays. I volunteered to edit my friends’ papers. Unfortunately, I started to let the real world dictate my future. As I began my college search, I realized how little journalists make and how competitive that job market is. After telling teachers and other adults about my dream job as a writer, I got tired of hearing the sarcastic remark, “Oh, so I guess you don’t want to make any money.” I began to take what they were saying and let it shape my own opinions. I changed my career path. I came into La Salle as a Marketing major in the Business Scholars Co- Op Program. I was enticed by the guarantee of a job right out of college and the promise of a decent salary. However, after my first semester, and an 8 a.m. accounting class, I knew business was not the right path for me. I was still writing as an outlet, editing my friends’ papers, and looking into becoming a writing tutor. There was no escaping my goals of being a writer; so, I went to my advisor and I changed my major to English and Spanish.

Since this change, I am much more confident in my career path. I often still get the response of, “So you don’t want to make any money,” but I do not let it affect me as it previously had. Rather, I just work toward having a job that I will thoroughly enjoy each and every day. At La Salle, I have been hired as a Writing Tutor in the Sheekey Writing Center for the upcoming school year and I am hoping to work for the Collegian as well. Additionally, I am a writer for the online publication The Odyssey; each week I have the opportunity to voice my opinions in any way I choose, and then share them with the world. My ultimate goal is to be a travel writer or a journalist living abroad. I also have always had the dream of writing my novel. Writing has always been my favorite thing to do; it was how I first learned to express myself and it was how I discovered that I could have a voice in this world.