The Virginia Children's Book Festival (VCBF) is an annual event that Longwood has hosted for many years. The three-day festival is full of activities for students to interact with authors, attend special programs, and explore new books.

I've been super excited to volunteer for the festival, especially after my Children's Literature professor told us there would be about seven thousand students walking around our campus.

Yes. Seven. Thousand.

To my surprise, I witnessed an awesome exchange between two upper-elementary students walking around. I was expecting a lot of interesting twists and turns during my time volunteering, but this was the day before - I really didn't see it coming!

Two girls were walking side-by-side in line with their other classmates. The girls had to be in upper elementary school: I could only see one of them clearly, and her bright red shirt and rain boots made her stand out from the dull sky above that happened to be pouring buckets upon buckets of rain on us.

Despite the nasty weather, the girl in red had a very upbeat, animated tone. I was as she cheerfully asked her friend, "What do you want to be when you grow up?". I couldn't hear the other girl's response, which made sense in context, as the window for her to respond was cut off very quickly.

The girl continued, "Well, I am going to be an author, so I need to think creatively so I can write good books that kids can get my books here one day."

The confidence, happiness, and absolute positive energy that came from this young student literally made me stop and process what I had just heard: she was someone who may have never stepped foot into a middle school before and yet she seemed to have her life more put together than most of my college peers (to be real, I count in that number as well).

So, why was that statement so awesome to me?

Hearing her say that took me back to my own childhood and optimism about what I wanted to be when I grew up - an author, a veterinarian, and teacher - were the most common (excluding short-lived dreams of becoming a pop star). This girl, much like I was, is full of enthusiasm for her future.

Could that lead her to a scholarly path post-high school? Would her plan change as new interests form over time? Will she even remember that conversation?

It can be hard to say for some, but I personally believe her experience with the festival and visiting Longwood's beautiful campus will stay with her. Dreams and goals are what give us day-to-day incentives, and having such a passion for eventual pursuits is so promising for her future, as well as other students her age and above (or below!).

The take-away? Figure out your passion, what you would have wanted to grow up to be as a child, and consider ways to morph those memories and desires into your current life. The sky is the limit, and while goals like "becoming a police dog" or "bringing dinosaurs back to life" aren't exactly obtainable, if you can apply the basic ideas into your regular routine you'll develop an amazing drive - write that book, choose that path, post that song, do whatever craft you have and do it to your fullest potential.