Hi everyone! For me personally, reading has been something that I’ve loved as long as I can remember. My parents immigrated to America to study and find job opportunities, and one of my favorite memories would be when they took me to the public library in Oklahoma. I’d borrow dozens and dozens of books (I was obsessed with Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House!), and my mother would take me to her work, where I’d sit on the ground under her desk and read.
I also love writing – I’ve taken creative writing workshops at Emory, and I’d take writing a 20-page paper over a test any day of the week. But beyond that, as the oldest child who grew up speaking English natively in my family, I often find myself crossing the bridge between two languages; Chinese and English.
For me, reading and writing include creative exercises and papers and fun stories typed out on Word documents. But they also include emails that I help my mother write to my brother’s teachers, or explanations to my parents as to how certain English phrases are read in a native speaker’s context.
For my parents, reading and writing meant the possibility of life in a new country. As for me, they are how I can honor all the sacrifices they’ve made to get here by writing my own future.