I am sure everyone has been asked the question that I have heard a lot lately. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” When a child is asked this, the answer is something like “superhero” or “princess”. I thought I could be an astronaut, a ballerina, or maybe even the president. However, when I was three, I found a very different choice.
Being hearing impaired, I had teachers from a very young age so I could speak clearly. Therefore, reading was an integral part of my day. One day, I read a Captain Underpants book. I could read the words, but didn't really connect them and looked at the pictures to understand the story.
After that, I decided to try to write my own stories. They did not make much sense and were simplistic. At that point in time, I had no idea what a plot line was, or how to use proper grammar, but I fell in love with the use of words to create whatever I desired.
My first experience with a real author came when I was five and my mom and grandmother went to a book signing, dragging me along. We got to the store and slowly made it to the front of the line, where a young man named Warren St. John sat at the table, ready to sign their copies of his book Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer.After a couple of minutes, he asked me the infamous, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I told him I wanted to write stories like he did. Then came one of the most encouraging and defining moments of my life. He looked at my mom and asked for a picture with me so that when I got famous, he could tell everyone he "knew me when."
When I started school, my teachers were almost startled with how much I read, but never did anything but encourage me. The first “book” I wrote came in third grade. My teacher, Ms. Wesson, gave us a prompt about finding a baby reindeer on Christmas day. Mine was five pages, as opposed to my classmates only having a few paragraphs.
In middle school, nobody cared much for reading, but I stayed at the top of the Accelerated Reader point list. Warren kept in contact with me, becoming one of my biggest role models. I also began competing in, and winning, the Literacy Days Ready Writing Competitions. This timed contest was the first time my writing was challenged and judged. I met more authors through this program, and I became even more certain of my own future.
As I made my way through high school, I was rarely challenged with my writing because while everyone else focused on other things, I was still working on that. When I struggled with finding a major that fit me, I went to talk to the head of the Communications department at UAH and he introduced me to the degree that I am currently pursuing.
So when I get asked what I'm going to be nowadays, I get to give the same answer I've almost always given. I definitely found my place.
