My relationship with writing has always been a little rocky. Upon moving to the United States from Poland at the age of nine, I constantly felt the pressure to “catch up” to my peers. I felt that it was incredibly unfair that I was being graded at the same level as my friends that have been speaking English at home their whole lives. My mother never spoke to me in English, and I did not know a word of this foreign language until my first day of third grade. I decided that I would do everything in my power to succeed, and I was placed out of ESL after a few months because I not only caught up with my peers but I surpassed them.

Although I have come a long way, I am my own worst judge when it comes to writing. No matter how hard I try, I always feel as if I could do better. I attended Staten Island Technical High School, a specialized high school focused on science and math. When I began college last semester, the amount of essays and papers assigned was the most I have written in the past four years.

I have never been a fan of typing essays before writing them by hand, but managing college and a part time job did not allow me that privilege. I quickly learned that typing is not only faster, but it allows you to change your ideas without crossing anything out (which is important for someone who is a slightly obsessed with neatness). My Macaulay Honors IDC class required each of us to have a blog, very similar to the Baruch Blogs. We posted written assignments every week and commented on each others’ work. Although I have definitely become more comfortable and confident in my writing, I think that there is a lot of room for improvement. I am looking forward to becoming an even better writer.