Literacy is a prominent part of everyday life.

Our society thrives on media, but how can

individuals appreciate the information without possessing the skills in which to understand it?
Having the ability to read and write, among other things, is a major factor in our social liveshence the importance of maintaining literacy standards. Everyone has a specific journey to their
level of literacy as it stands, and here is mine.
As a child, reading took up a large chunk of my time. Even as a kindergartner, the baby in the
class, I always had a Junie B. Jones book in hand. Both of my parents-as well as their spousesknew just how important it was for me to learn how to read; however, I took more than just a
slight interest in that area. Whether it be because of my parents or simply my own biology,
reading has never been difficult; in fact, I had to read Charlotte's Web twice- once in second
grade because I was ahead, and another in third grade as part of the curriculum. Books of all
genres were always a source of entertainment for me, especially intriguing stories of magic or
mystical creatures. Though fiction was an obvious choice, I also took an interest in books about
ancient mythology which was the turning point of my true growth in literacy.
As my interests began expanding, I began to become literate in multiple subjects. As an added
bonus, my father was the Math Superstars teacher for my elementary school, aiding me in
increasing my mathematical skills. Throughout my elementary and middle school years, I read
extensively. While most children enjoyed playing outside, I found it tedious so my dad would
make me take my book outside in order to "get some fresh air", so my stops at the library were
frequent. Towards the end of that time period, I discovered the writings of Stephen King. I
became fascinated by his work and took out up to five books of his at one time just to read them
non-stop. As I continued to read each day, I found books around the house such as "A Time to
Kill" and "Papillon". These two became my favorite books and opened my eyes to the world of
realistic fiction, furthering my horizons as a reader. This period in my life continued until my
sophomore year of high school in which marching band took up most of my time; however, my
reading and writing skills continuously improved as I went along.
My high school career presented multiple opportunities to explore many different forms of
literacy. For instance, I played in the band all four years, took a multitude of science classes,
took four years of Mandarin Chinese, and went up to Pre-Calculus in my math courses. Each of
these classes provided knowledge to aid me in my literacy of many different subjects. One of
my biggest sponsors of literacy was Joseph Earp, my high school band director. He brought my
musical literacy up to Masterworks level by the time I graduated, which is quite an
accomplishment for a director of a new school. I attribute my level of literacy to my parents and
teachers, but I also place some of it on myself. No one forced me to read as much as I did, I
simply enjoyed it- my sponsors helped me along the way.