Let Me Introduce Myself

 Hello everyone!

My name is Micaela Simons León, and I am originally from Peru. I am a third-year Ballet Trainee with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and part of their BFA program. My whole life has revolved around the performing arts, especially dance, so when the time came to decide my career, I chose to follow my dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. 

My interests vary from learning different dance styles and languages to learning about history, politics, and science. I decided to take this course because lately, I have been interested in improving my literary skills, whether learning to write better or understanding different texts better. Considering my interest in languages, I have always wanted to be as fluent as possible and expand my knowledge in English, as it is my second language. 

I went to an all-girls, private, British school, so my first memories of being literate were when I was in kindergarten, and our teacher taught us how to read from left to right and pronounce certain words. The exact memories of what we did during this time are foggy, but I can vividly visualize myself sitting in front of my desk with an open book. The books had a lot of drawings and bigger writing, but this is when my literacy journey began. 

I remember our teachers encouraging us to read, but my parents also encouraged me at home. Both my parents are very academic, considering that they are lawyers. They would read stories, explain more complex words, and help me read the books I got from school. By the time I started primary school, I remember being at school now learning how to write correctly. Our teachers would give us notebooks with letters of the alphabet to trace, letter by letter; my hand got more used to writing.

My school wanted us to read, creating a reading competition with different levels. At the end of each month, we would count the total minutes read every week, and the student who had the most reading time per grade would get a trophy during a school assembly. After winning my first trophy, my parents were extremely happy, and my dad would demonstrate this with gifts. As a kid, this was like Christmas morning every time my report card came. I realized that the better I did at school, the happier and prouder my parents were. 

My dad is one of the most knowledgeable people I know, and I have always admired him; he is my role model as a learner. Making him proud became my main priority, which drove me to work harder to become more literate because he always told my brothers and me that people cannot fool you if you know the facts and one of the main ways to do that is by reading. He reads about everything, from books about different dog breeds before getting us a puppy to the latest scientific discoveries and law systems in other countries worldwide. If he's not reading, he is writing an article. His mind is fascinating. We would always listen to the news in the car, and I would ask him questions. I am thankful for the interesting articles my dad sends me weekly.

I am taught something new daily. I learned from books, teachers, parents, videos, and experiences. One day, without noticing, I could read and write mainly with no trouble. I was surrounded by novels, poems, and plays in Spanish, English, and French. I was still a good student with excellent grades, but reading and homework started feeling like an obligation; books seemed dull, and my interest in discovering new worlds through literature decreased significantly, which was very frustrating. I was still eager to learn different things about the world, but the only reading I did was for school, which I rarely enjoyed. I am a visual learner; learning through videos and images is much easier, sometimes by listening to songs or podcasts. Even during tests, I found myself visualizing the page where the answer was.  

Literacy is extremely important. We do not realize how important the ability to read and write genuinely is. Nowadays, people read posts on social media or tabloid headlines and believe stories. We need to investigate and look at different sources and contrasting points of view. After many years of feeling forced to read, I have started to find books that take me to different worlds. I could be in Hogwarts, the Overlook Hotel in the Shining, or the 1940s. I enjoy reading again. Not only novels but articles or books about politics, science, and history. I like asking questions and finding the answers. I want to become a more knowledgeable person by keeping an open mind and having an interest in figuring out the truth, where the facts lay, and how certain things actually work. With this, I can also help others learn. I enjoy teaching the people around me about different issues or topics so they can also expand their minds. Being literate helps us understand the world better, improve it, and make it a better home for everyone.