By Sophie Schreiber.

My whole life thus far has been about telling stories. I am a teacher who became a writer in three phases. Phase one was when I realized that everything I did as a child had focused on creating original characters. In the olden days, peoples’ last names, or their epithets, told others a lot about who they were. The same rings true for me today. My last name, Schreiber, translated to German from its original Polish, means writer. Therefore, as a little girl, I always felt it was my destiny to become one. 

I sat in my backyard, in my yellow swing, and decided to see whether I could come up with something unique. The first character I created was named Addie Lewiston, in honor of my mom’s dear friend Addie.  Addie’s character is still with me as a young adult, in my Chicago creative writing assignments. Getting the chance to tell Addie’s story, along with fictionalized versions of my own story, allows my brain to have the creative outlet it has always needed. 

Once I realized that writing was calling to my strengths much more than student teaching, phase two was applying to grad school programs, and phase three will be moving to Chicago to look for jobs in the literary field and to finish my degree. Once I realized that I no longer had to learn about things like reading the room, making eye contact with each student, and paying attention to my clothes and speech, I immediately felt free. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders, and with that came growth and transformation. Making this career change gave me the confidence I needed to get back to what made me happy as a girl; writing and the performing arts.