Born on the 30th of June, 2005, I am a 17 year old who has lived in California my entire life. Though I tend to allocate my leisure time to mindlessly browsing the internet, my hobbies occasionally get some investment. These hobbies combine aspects of both the sciences and humanities, with the sciences influencing my interest in computer science and the humanities influencing my enjoyment of art; at their intersection lies my fixation on web design. Career-wise, computer science proves to be the more domineering hobby, with my intended major being in its domain; however, illustration still presents itself in my life through sketchbook doodles and drawing tablet renders. The ego of web design mediates the superego embedded in my fascination in the straight-edge and syntactical nature of computer science and id within my need for the more liberal and forgiving aspects of art. Besides web design, I also enjoy pseudo-reminiscing over the 2000s internet. The rogue nature of the past web is almost incomparable to the overly-sanitized hellscape of our current internet. Long before the invention of non-fungible tokens, the over-consumption of cryptocurrency, and the surplus of body-dysmorphia-inducing Instagram posts, there existed a digital wild west. Within this landscape existed everything from low-quality websites, adorned with the brightest and most obnoxious colors to JavaScript viruses. Can you imagine that? JavaScript, a language mostly bounded by the confines of your browser, had the potential to create legitimate harm back then. Of course, having never legitimately experienced that era, I am looking at the 2000s through rose-tinted glasses. But if I could take a time machine back to those years and witness the hysteria surrounding Y2K and enjoy GeoCities in its flesh, I would. Sadly, time machines do not exist yet, and as a teenager entering my senior year of high school in the 2020s, I am excited to move on with my life in pursuit of more grandiose ventures.

Being forced to read every day growing up served as a severe detriment to my interest in reading now. Having to sit down and put effort and concentration into reading is one of the most repulsive and mentally arduous tasks for me, like eating a kale stem or bittermelon soup. At least writing has its mentally and physically stimulating components; with reading, you just hope the text has some interesting points and comprehensible diction. However, when I truly have to read or develop a genuine liking for a text, I have no real preference. In my opinion, the ability to enjoy a text comes not from its genre, but from the way the writer chooses to explore its topics. Recently, I have developed an interest in reading manga due to its emphasis on illustration rather than long bodies of text to present its story, and I hope to read more when time allows. Audiobooks seem to also aid in the process of reading as they provide a reliable presenter to read the story to you. Their speed toggles also become reliable when trying to cram large amounts of text into short periods, such as five chapters of Frankenstein in 60 minutes.

Though not my favorite activity, writing proves less cumbersome than reading, acting as my primary motivator for this class. Writing has always been an insecurity of mine, albeit not a major one, but still one relevant enough to have me constantly second guessing my text, questioning its eloquence and preciseness. Maybe such insecurity derives itself from constant reminders to remove “to be” verbs or from the plethora of Grammarly nitpicks telling me to “delete this” and “delete that,” who knows. Through taking English 104, I aspire to develop a cleaner writing style that incorporates different techniques and strategies analyzed during class. Much to my dismay, such development will rely on reading, something I loathe, but understand the significance of. Consequently, my disdain for reading will probably be the biggest challenge in this course since falling behind jeopardizes my grade. However, viewing English 104 as a gestalt, the positives from this class such as a more comprehensive understanding of literature along with more impactful writing skills heavily outweigh any negatives.