In school I had always been good at writing. In 7th grade we did a unit on poetry in my literacy class and that was hard for me at first. Writing in that specific way was never really something I had to do before, it seemed like the words never really came to me. As the days progressed I found it coming to me more naturally when the project became to write personal poems. I realized that writing this poetry was a helpful way to convey the emotions I was feeling everyday at age 12. At that time I had been going through a lot and reaching adolescence so it was a confusing time. The poetry we were told to write in class helped me more than I knew it ever could. Putting my emotions in artistic and metaphorical phrases that all came together to symbolize how I, and many other young girls felt, was therapeutic in a way. As a young girl trying to navigate becoming a teenager, going through puberty, and struggling with mental health, the world can feel like a very lonely place. I know for myself and many others, regardless of gender, just starting to become a teenager and middle school was a very hard time. It sounds cliche to some but writing poetry and learning a new way to convey emotion through a healthy outlet was extremely helpful to me. I know I was not the only in class to benefit from writing poetry. Many of my classmates wrote very heartfelt and personal pieces that I could tell was very freeing for them to share with others. After middle school I did not find myself writing poetry often at all, but to this day I do find myself very drawn to poetry and actually really enjoying it.

Ever since I was a little kid I have enjoyed reading. In 4th grade I had been gifted a book by a friend of my mom titled “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” by the author Kate DiCamillo. It was a much bigger book than I was used to reading but as soon as I started it I could not stop. It begins in the 1930’s when the china rabbit doll named Edward is gifted to a wealthy ten-year old girl named Abilene Tulane by her grandmother. Edward is aware he is a doll and the story is narrated through what he says in his head. He is very vain but finds himself becoming separated from Abilene and going from owner to owner, living many different lives, learning first hand how less fortunate people live. This book stuck with me as a child because I had never read something like that. It quickly became my favorite book and as I am reaching adulthood it still is the best book i’ve ever read. As I read this book I learned about many different lifestyles, although the story was entirely fictional it used scenarios that many people live through in their daily lives. Situations that the main character Edward Tulane had thought of as completely unheard of and below him were also somewhat unheard of to myself in the 4th grade. At such a young age I felt so enlightened by this book. My like for reading quickly turned into love because of this one book.