How reading has influenced my identity

All throughout my childhood, reading has been ingrained within my family. It has served as a fundamental pillar that has helped me grow up and mature into the person I am today.

My mom was an elementary school teacher and growing up, she would read to me and my siblings every night. Reading was one of the many ways she showed us her love.

My siblings and I were all adopted together by my parents, and my parents wanted to make sure that we knew how much we were loved and appreciated.

She would read books like “Curious George” and “I Love You, Stinky Face,” showcasing how a parent’s love can extend beyond blood relation. 

As I got to elementary school, I discovered the world of fantasy, which helped to shape and foster creativity within myself. I fell into worlds such as “Harry Potter” and “The Chronicles of Narnia,” which immersed me into worlds I did not think were possible. 

I was also fortunate to have amazing teachers who introduced me to great books. One of the most memorable books from when I was younger was “The Phantom Tollbooth,” which was read to me by my third-grade teacher. She would read a chapter every day, leaving us on the edge of our seats in suspense, wondering what our protagonist, Milo, would do next. She would even dress as one of the characters every Halloween. 

Moments and books like that are what helped teach me the impact that books can have on people. Every week, the entire class was so enthralled and invested in the characters and it was something that everyone connected through. 

As I got to middle school, I lost some of my passion. Sixth grade was fine — I was introduced to “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” but after I finished those books, there was seemingly nothing that really interested me. 

In seventh and eighth grade, I admittedly could not tell you a single book that I read. My teachers never pushed very hard for our class to read, so we never did. I never read the typical expected texts, like “The Outsiders,” by S.E. Hinton. I found myself occupying myself with other things, like my passion for playing music. 

I had put reading on the back burner and felt no motivation to read anything. In the face of changes in growing up and finding myself throughout middle school, I did not think reading was important anymore.

Then, transitioning into high school, I was not prepared for the changes that I had to face. I also had decided to take English honors, but was not prepared for the significant amount of reading and writing that was required. I struggled with the first quarter of the year until we read “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I know for many others in the class, it was just another boring book we had to read, but I understood its significance and knew the power in the message that it was trying to convey.

That novel sparked my passion for reading and books. This carried me until the end of high school. However, what made me decide to major in comparative literature in college was my senior-year AP literature teacher. I was struggling at the start of the year and felt that my analysis was only good enough at the surface level of things.  

My teacher that year offered me so much support and encouragement throughout my writing and learning process. She also taught me to appreciate poetry during our poetry March Madness bracket, where I was introduced to so many different poets and authors who gave me nuanced and unique perspectives on life. 

Her influence also helped me ultimately decide that I wanted to major in comparative literature. 

When I officially declared my major and was accepted into Cal State Fullerton, I got two common questions: “What is that?” and “What are you going to do with that?”

This was something that, in my first year at CSUF, I was also self-conscious and worried about. These questions consistently made me doubt my major and what I wanted to do. I thought I had chosen something too narrow, a major that would only lead me to one path — to teach.

Although these questions were constantly in my head, I knew that because of my love for reading and writing, I was in the right major. 

My career goals for the entire time I’ve been here have always been to go into the publishing industry or work on editorial and editing desks. With my degree, I also open myself to many jobs that need good writers with critical thinking skills. 

Much of society tends to put English and literature majors into a box, limiting them and what they can achieve into categories of either authorship or education, which is far from the truth. 

As I prepare to graduate this fall, I encourage others to listen to themselves and do their own research on the possibilities that their major has to offer them.