I live in worlds filled with faeries, dragons and palaces made of glass. I live in worlds where magic exists and where the good guys always come out of a hard-fought battle victorious. 

Ever since I was young, losing myself to books was my favorite pastime. I could be whoever I wanted with just a flip of a page. 

Reading opened me up to endless possibilities and to stories I so wanted to be part of. Books gave me a place to escape to when I needed a break from the world, things happening around me or  in my own head. 

2019 to 2021 was a period when my anxiety was incredibly bad.

It was hard to wake up sometimes and have a good work ethic in school while balancing family and friend life. I turned myself to reading and escaping inside a story for a few hours. Literature helped me through my parents’ divorce and kept me occupied in the many days and nights I spent in a hospital room after being diagnosed with a medical condition in 2020. 

Reading made me feel less alone and never failed to make me satisfied. I give credit to authors like Leigh Bardugo, Stephanie Garber, Sarah J. Maas and Namina Forna for crafting such intricate stories that make me lose my sense of reality. 

After college, I aspire to work in a book publishing company, editing novels for the rest of my life or being a literary agent to authors who share the same love of literature that I do. 

I may write a book down the road – but only time will tell. 

Starting at the Northern Star as a writer and transitioning to an editor has helped expand my imagination and creativity. Reading is severely underrated, and I wouldn’t be where I am now or have found my passion if it wasn’t for my introduction to books so early in my life.

Books have always brought me comfort, and I always make it a point to delve into new stories, wander into distant universes and fall in love with characters I so wish I could bring to life. 

As the acclaimed author George R. R. Martin once said, “I have lived a thousand lives. I have loved a thousand loves. I’ve wandered distant worlds and seen the end of time because I read.”