I became a writer at a young age. I was always writing stories by hand on printer paper, stapling them and making little books to hand out to my friends and family. I was also very convinced that the newsletter I created as an elementary schooler would first hit the welcome mats of my neighbors and then hit the newsstands nationwide.

My 2nd-grade teacher granted me the privilege of sitting at a desk in the back of the classroom and let me write whatever my little heart desired while all the other kids were carrying on with their math and phonics lessons. I conducted one-on-one tutoring sessions with my fellow classmates throughout the school day, helping them write in cursive and read more proficiently. I will never forget what Mrs. Campbell wrote on my report card: "Lauren will have a bestseller one day!" A compliment so simple and given to me so long ago still rings in my head as I fantasize of being granted a membership to Oprah's prestigious book club.

My love for reading and writing has never stopped since then. When I was presented with the daunting decision of what I wanted to major in at UCF, Journalism was my first thought. When you love to write, you become a journalist, right? But as I was taking my first journalism classes, I hated picturing myself hitting the ground running, trying to find "breaking news" about who shot who or covering whatever fear-mongering stories would create enough buzz and attract enough clickbait. I wasn't passionate about that. But what else was I going to do?

I needed to take a 4000-level English class in order to satisfy a requirement so I could apply for Journalism school. I decided to take Professional Editing, and I fell absolutely in love with it. I learned that "Writing & Rhetoric" was a major option at UCF when I was already pretty deep into journalism classes...but I couldn't help that I saw myself more in the field of editing and publishing than in the field of news and media. I completely changed my major last minute and I'm so glad I did.

I started blogging frequently, writing for Odyssey, and learning about my career options. Before I started job hunting, I never realized how writing is such a valuable skill in the business world that people tend to overlook. There are corporations that hire writers just to formulate their business memos, business proposals, content for their website, etc. All companies put out written content that needs to be copyedited and proof-read before it's published. Educated and detail-oriented writers are actually the hidden tools that almost all businesses need. So before you tell me that I "better marry a rich guy" or ask me if my writing is something I'm going to do "on the side", think before you speak.

I have a life-long passion that's actually a need in this society. Whether I write a novel or work for a corporation that needs me to do their writing "dirty work", my skills are just as important as the skills of an engineer or an accountant. Just because some people have analytical brains and some people have creative brains, both types of thinkers are needed to make this world go 'round.

Regardless of what I end up doing in order to put bread on the table, writing is my first love. It helps me make sense of all the things going on in my life in a healthy way. When I sit down and write it all out, I come to conclusions and have meaningful realizations that I probably wouldn't have come to otherwise. Writing has taught me how to be self-aware and make sense of the confusing situations that I'm faced with. Writing has been there for me when nothing else has. When I had so much to say and nobody to talk to, I still had a journal and a pen that allowed me to gain clarity and feel at peace.

Writing gives me confidence because it helps me realize that the answers have been within me all along. There is something about explaining things to yourself on paper that helps you connect with your inner-knowing. I might get anxiety about math and not be an engineering or science wiz, but I have the ability to self-reflect and make sense of the world around me in my own unique way. I know how to find depth, beauty, and symbolism in even the smallest of things, and I know how to relate to others and make people not feel so alone with their thoughts and feelings. And I think that's special.