The average girl played with Barbie’s and dolls, and sometimes I was that girl, but somehow I got introduced to the world of Marvel and DC. When wasn't’t imagining that I was the girl trapped in the tower, waiting on the cute guy from next door was gonna come in and rescue me from the purple prison that was my room, I was nose deep in a flood street fight filled with joker gas and Bat- errangs. I was flying through the skies at top speed with a fluttering cape at my back or there was some ties up with my lasso of truth. Hours upon hours were spent in the world of my comic books. I was fascinated by these people who I prayed I’d meet (or never meet in the case of the Joker or Two Face). Yes, I really believed in comic books.

More than just the hundreds of muscular men and all the cool super powers they had, I saw all the women that were in their world of crime and intergalactic battles between themselves and aliens from other planets and dimensions who wanted to turn earth into their feeding ground and personal playground. I saw these girls just a few years older that were fighting crime by night and taking a test the next day as if no one had tried to blow them up only a few hours before. Call me crazy, but I wanted to be just like them. I wanted to be Wonder Woman, Bat Girl, and Cat Woman all in one.

Anyone would think that you needed to either face a tragedy of immense proportions to do this, be born from a statue and the soul of a dead goddess, have a million dollars at your fingertips, or all of the above. I had none of the above, but truthfully that wasn’t all that a bad a thing to me. The flight and super speed seemed like just what I needed, but more than that I wanted to be as strong as Cat woman, as independent and Wonder Woman, and as calculating as Bat girl. I didn’t want to be the girl who HAD to be rescued or she’d never get down, but I wanted to be the girl that was smart enough to make a rope of the bedding and then hit the ground running. I wanted my prince to be optional. Yes, at one time or another I wanted to date boy wonder or the kid flash, but sometimes it’s best to fly like Superman: Solo.
It wasn’t so much the awesome costumes and ability to leap over a building in a sing bound as much as what they did. They stood up for the under dog, for those who couldn’t defend themselves against the higher powers that tried to terminate them. More times than not they hid in plain sight as one of those underdogs, and then when the time came or the signal buzzed, they disappeared from the scene and tried to save the day. As a fellow underdog, I wanted to do something really huge with my life, save the lives of others and maybe even been seen as a hero myself. I read about these strong women and saw the things they did and how they stood for everything others should strive to be: brave, courageous, calm in the face of danger. Admitted they hundreds of guys falling at their feet fore more than that they were scared out of the wits was an upside too, but digress.

I’m in highscool now and is still catch myself from time to time flying into daydreams of desadly gymnastics and Kung Fu fun. I was never recruited by a billionaire or a legion of intergalactic space cops all dressed in green. I wear a uniform every Thursday and say orders to the sentry, and my chest jingles from all the metals I wear because they realized I’m the next Annie Oakley. I might not stay up late and fight crime, but each day is a new challenge prove that I can be a hero. As an NJROTC student, I do have the opportunities to get involved with my community in ways I never imagined. Last year, I worked at a benefit night at my high school that was put together to raise money for the Pinwheel foundation, a local organization that raises awareness in child abuse. At Christmas we worked at the local Seaman’s Church Institute packing up boxes for those who were working out on the river. I might not have been wearing a cape or a mask at these events, but I did wear a yellow Navy T-shirt and that did make me feel like a hero.

The comics I read as a kid and the ones I still read today have had a huge impact on my life. Through the nosebleeds, shootings, explosions, and crazy plots to turn the city is a waste land, I did learn the importants of standing up for others. You don’t have to carry a weapon or a badge or even be the worlds greatest detect to serve small justices like stopping someone from picking on another, or talking to someone you see sitting off by themselves. Being a hero is not having a fantastic artist drawing your stories, wearing spandex and leather that shows of everything your momma ever knew, or even having the snazzy utility belt. Being a hero means doing what’s right for the sake of others and not just yourself. It is selfless sacrifice….and occasionally putting on the glow in the dark batman cape you got at Six Flags and running around with your little cousin on your back.