I remember having my first young authors’ class in the afternoon right after recess. The first two weeks were rolling by in a mediocre light for me. I was sitting on an empty, steel chair with my hands clutched tightly together like a jointed bone. Then, the room began to fill with curious silence as the teacher walked in and started to introduce herself. I was giving all of my attention the whole time she talked.

I learned that her name was Ms. Turner—Mary Kate Turner. That was my first time meeting her. For some reason, her name already sounded like she was a person with the kindest heart. As the days went by, I also had another class with her: Literature and Film.

I found myself enjoying how she would mention Disney films and the remakes of old ones into new versions. I was never bored in the collection of classes I had during my first trimester.

During that time, I also had a hard time figuring out what career I wanted to pursue. I am an early bird, so I forced myself to consider carefully what I really wanted to be. I didn’t realize what my true passion was until one day, in young authors’ class, Ms. Turner had set us loose to work on writing a story.

I felt like it would be an interesting task to work on since I’d never actually written a novel before.

As soon as everybody started working, I was already typing a countless number of words onto my Google Doc. My fingers couldn’t stop tapping, and I continued to expand my imagination until there I had my first few pages, standing there filled with sentences.

Ms. Turner kept on giving us assignments day after day, and I had that same enthusiasm. My heart was intentionally focused on getting the job done creatively, and I knew something was coming from this point.

A few weeks later, my mind shifted to the idea that I was truly passionate about doing creative writing. I was right. At home, I immediately went to the computer in the basement and dove into researching.

I watched some YouTube videos of different people’s style of utilizing their time for writing. I read some helpful tips from prominent, bestselling authors as to what makes a book worth publishing. I didn’t hesitate to keep on searching on other days whenever I had free time.

Once the beginning of 2021 had flown by, Ms. Turner formed a writing workshop as a classroom norm. We all pushed the tables together, with the small wheels beneath each leg squeaking, and we made a circle. We sat in our seats and practiced being each other’s editors. Ms. Turner participated in the group too. I had the amazing opportunity to read my peers’ work, and I always left them positive feedback on their printed stories.

Eventually, my printed copy was returned to me, and of course, my paper was overflowing with smiley faces and encouraging comments on some parts of my paragraphs. I was proud due to the fact that I had finally written a real tale of a fantasy world that so many people had enjoyed reading. I could tell my teacher had a lot of pride and support for me as well.

The year was still moving on, and Ms. Turner also understood how much I loved to write. She recommended me to a state writing contest, and obviously, I took interest in it. But due to not being able to complete some required sign-ups, as well as lack of confidence, I didn’t compete in it. But I had never before wondered about any writing competitions that would develop my aptitude and love for writing. For the first time, I wanted to show the world one of the important aspects of my identity.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 made its way into our lives during third trimester, and it was the time of online school. Being stuck on the couch and staring at the screen for a couple of hours felt like it was blocking my ability to continue to learn to write. However, Ms. Turner led an online creative writing club on Google Classroom. I was relieved.

Writing was still in my spirit, and soon enough, everybody was getting in touch with each other again. I was able to pick up a lot of advantageous information about what it means to be an author. Like what we had done in person before, I had the time to read some peoples’ stories, and again, I gave them my fanatic comments. I had my work all set for editing and feedback too, but I decided to share it with Ms. Turner instead.

The next day, I took a peek at my document, and a couple of comments were waiting there, ready to be read. I put all of my attention into every word typed on the comments. They were all exactly necessary for improvement and gratification. The weeks rolled by, and so did the club. I know that if it weren’t for meeting this teacher who saw my fondness for writing, I would still be on the road looking for my future.

I will never forget this.