In middle school, I stood proudly in the driveway of my grandparent’s house, holding the newest version of the quarterly report card. With all the pride of my twelve year old self, I told my grandfather I had all A’s and one B. His response: “Was the B in English? You don’t typically do well in that class.”
My heart felt crushed. I stared up at the man who I thought most of in the world and could only imagine that he was horribly disappointed in me. It didn’t matter that the B was in Mathematics and I had a shiny, lovely A+ listed next to English. English and Language Arts had been my favorite subjects for as long as I could remember, but suddenly it seemed that wasn’t where my talents were.
I decided then that I would be phenomenal in English purely out of spite. throughout my highschool journey, I took as many Honors and Advanced Placement sections of English.
Then came college. I had a new challenge laid before my feet: Pick a major that will determine your career field for the rest of your life. I thought for a long time about practicality and helping others before settling on Psychology (leaving behind the spiteful, English challenge) and deciding at the mature age of 18 that I would be a counselor some day. I was nothing short of unhappy once I began taking the classes on campus. I’d stumble into the lecture hall at 8am wondering why Psychology was really the degree I should be pursuing.
I felt an old love calling to me in that time of disappointment. I wrote papers for an English-110 class and chatted excitedly with my peers about their analysis of the most recent novel we were reading. What had started as a determination to prove my grandfather wrong, had now turned into a deeply passionate ability. I consumed as many words as possible and soon found myself standing in front of the small computer in the Calling and Career office of my university.
My finger hovered over the option for an English major and I felt my heart pull me towards the one labeled Writing Emphasis. It was at that moment that I knew. I was a writer with every beautiful, fancy, and shiny moment that came with it.
by: Hannah Hicks