Since I was a child, I loved reading books of all kinds ā€” picture books, recipe books, you name it! My love for them only grew as time went on. They were a form of escapism for me. In elementary school, it was graphic novels and picture books. Middle school, mostly test prep and chapter books. By high school, I became fascinated with all kinds of reference books, from plants to anatomy and even to witchcraft and deities/spirits! When I first started college, it was my first time being away from home for an extended period of time (i.e. more than a month). Despite the many student events that were offered all over campus, it never truly felt like home. Then again, what part of upstate NY really feels like home? But something that kept me going was going down to what we called ā€œThe Stageā€ and checking out the mini library on the second floor. One book in particular caught my eye; It wasnā€™t the fashion books or the architecture studies ā€” it was your average school textbook. The title read ā€œTheatrical Design and Production.ā€ I thought to myself, ā€œWell, what the hellā€™s a book like this doing here amongst these books?ā€ It stood out so much that I really couldnā€™t resist. Taking it down from the shelf, I opened it to the table of contents and from there, I learned that there was more to the entertainment field than just design. Sure, design is a big part of it, and I knew there were other paths out there, but I didnā€™t think it was possible for me until I found the program Iā€™m currently in here at City Tech. To be honest, had I not found that book and chose to transfer back to the city, I may not be where I am today. While books have created a realm of escapism for me, theyā€™ve also grounded me back in reality multiple times. Theyā€™ve shown me that thereā€™s more to life than the mundane routines weā€™re usually forced to follow every day.