It isn't easy to pinpoint my first encounter with reading. It's felt like second nature for as long as I can remember. However, I didn’t simply stumble upon this skill. Looking back, I realize it was cultivated through my parents' efforts. Their dedication and consistency shaped who I am today. They always ensured that various texts were available for me to inspect. Our library card was constantly maxed out. Literacy granted me more than just the ability to read and write; it granted me liberation.

I learned the alphabet with the aid of my parents. Afterward, I went off on my own. I began to write out and read allowed sentences, letter by letter, slowly making the connections from the page to my brain. When I first started reading, I didn't even realize; that it felt instinctual. From then on I couldn't stop reading wherever I went. When I was supposed to do homework, I was reading. When I was eating dinner, I was reading. When I was bathing, I was reading. It became a rare occurrence to find me not buried in a story. 

My parents were not the only ones to foster my ability. Libraries, I could go on and on about my profound love for them. I spent hours tracing over cracked spines and faded covers of beloved books, even attending various book clubs within their walls. Those meetings helped me overcome my anxiety. Although I was a happy kid, fears plagued me, big and small. Anxiety affected my everyday life. Elementary school teachers often overlooked my quietness, and I felt left out and alone. Therefore, reading became my refuge. Being able to connect with texts, get lost in the pages, and be transported into stories was invigorating. I looked forward to library trips after school, checking out another read to add to my “Leaning Tower of Pisa” stack at home. Books were my friends. I didn’t feel like a loner in school anymore; I felt invincible.

At around nine years old, the fruits of my parents’ labor began to flourish. I had just won the avid reader award for my 3rd-grade class. I was ecstatic. I remember running from my bus stop straight to my front door, clutching that trophy as if my life depended on it. It was the first, and perhaps only, trophy I'd ever received. Currently, although it's sitting in a dusty shoebox, it was once displayed proudly on top of my dresser. My name is forever etched under “Most Avid Female Reader, Mrs. Rhee’s 3rd Grade”. After that, I changed. It didn't go unnoticed either; I was a completely different person. I went from an introverted-natured kid, known for her silence, to a socializer. Reading granted me the ability to gain confidence and self-worth, more so than ever before.

From then to 6th grade, I continued to read often, but not as much. But, after 6th grade, formerly daily occurrences turned into weekly ones, then biweekly, and slowly but surely fizzled out to once a month at most. As this happened, my life became dull. I wasn't happy and my parents began to notice. When they expressed their concerns to me, I shrugged it off. My interest in reading continued to decline. What once was my passion, filling my life with contentment, wisping away with time.

Then came high school. Summer reading was required for that incoming year, so off to the library I went. When I walked through its doors, memories came flooding back to me. All my happiest moments overwhelmed me with such joy. I spent the whole day there, reminiscing on old books and what was happening in my life simultaneously. Right then and there, it had finally occurred to me how big of a part books played in my life. Reading, literacy in general, has shaped me into the person I am today, and I haven't been given that recognition in years. 

Today, I've dusted off my reading trophy, displaying it on my desk to act as a reminder to myself that reading and writing alike have gifted me with a new identity. Its transformative power has allowed me to express myself. I've evolved, from a silent girl to sound, speaking her mind and self-advocating. So, literacy to me is more than just the capability to read and write; literacy is empowerment. Literacy is life.