I never really wanted to be a writer. Growing up, whenever I was either sitting on my bed staring deep into the color-arrayed television or clutching my handheld gaming device with my hazelnut eyes focused so intensely on the task at hand, I had my heart set on being a video game developer, and, well, that did not really amount to anything. A few years later, I was introduced to the world of music when the songs of The Beatles and Aerosmith came into my ears’ possession. From that moment on, admittedly, I was dedicated to becoming a musician, as a beautiful, golden Fender acoustic guitar in a protective zipped-up black case sitting in the corner of my yellow-painted room would showcase. Video games, music, and eventually sports have basically been my life for the past 18 years of my life! What I did not realize was that my hidden love for the art of writing would be what I would focus on for the rest of my life.

I have been responsible for writing and gathering several huge writing projects over my school years, but the one that urged me to pursue writing was an assignment I had in ninth grade. Our LACII class was given the duty of creating a “persuasive speech,” so I dedicated a few days of my time in studying my all-time favorite band, the Electric Light Orchestra. I have been a long-time critic of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and ELO had not been inducted, so I thought to myself, “why not?” I spent a few hours over the next few days peering onto my laptop, with the plain-white sheet of paper given by Microsoft Word slowly and gradually being filled with black, small-sized font. By the end, two pages were completed, and I was prepared to give my speech. On our first class the following Monday, I was the first one called on to read my speech. I sat in my living room with my gray Hewlett-Packard school laptop sitting in front of me on a black table, with my headset on my ears and clutching two pieces of papers. I pressed the mic button to begin, and, well, so I did!

Twenty minutes later, give or take, I finished my persuasive speech. Little did I realize just how well-received it would ultimately turn out. There was enough time remaining in our class for one more speech, and my classmate and friend Cooper, an author of at least seven Civil War books at this point, was called on next to read, and was about to establish my affection for writing.

"So my speech is going to sound basically the same as Ben's, because I did mine on why Tiger Woods should be in the Golf Hall of Fame… just mine is not going to be anywhere near as great as his," I still remember Cooper saying. I was absolutely speechless. I did not realize that I could actually write something that would be liked.

What I am really getting at here is that sometimes the least considered option, or, really, the most out-of-the-blue scenario is always going to be possible in somebody’s life. I thought for so long that game developer or musician would be the professions that I would enter in the future, but neither of my first two obvious choices became what I truly wanted to be. In just the few years since that moment, I have further cemented wanting to be involved in the journalism field, and have encountered and talked to several people in what will hopefully become my future career. I believe everyone has a special talent that they will recognize at some point and that will lead them in the right direction, or at least assist them, when it comes to life and their future ambitions. Do not ever give up on finding your one true calling!