The Abstract.

Hi all! As you can see, I’m Olivia. I spent the first 19 years of my life in a small town outside of Chicago. Growing up I always wanted to go to school in either New York City or California so when I got the opportunity to make that happen, I jumped at the chance. In July of 2013 I packed my car and left my friends and family behind to my new home in Livermore. For the next two years I attended the local community college where I received my AS in Social Science, while getting by as a nanny. I recently made Chico my new home in August to begin the next step toward becoming a high school Special Education teacher. I’m hoping to finish up my BA and apply to the RISE program for my credential and Masters. My ultimate goal after college is to live and find a job in Santa Cruz County and spend my summers traveling. A little bit more about myself: I’m 21. I’ve been a vegetarian for a little over a year now. I’m disgustingly in love with animals, especially dogs. I love being surrounded by nature which is why I spend any free time I have hiking new places. I’m also a huge nerd for learning about anything related to psychology and the World Wars.

When I think of a reader I think of someone who has a thirst for knowledge that can only be fed through reading. Outside of school it’s a challenge to find books that hold my attention, but every now and then I have some luck. Recently I stumbled upon a mystery-thriller series by Brian Freeman and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Over winter break I decided to read both Amy Poehler’s and Tina Fey’s books and it was the best decision I ever made. I HIGHLY recommend both books to anyone in search of something new to read. The reading I do outside of school has a lot more humor and voice within the writing. For the most part, my outside reading doesn’t connect with the reading I do for school. Sometimes there’s overlap, but not enough for me to remember specific instances. The main idea I took from the article is that regardless of the actual definition of what it means to be a “reader,” everyone will have their own schemas and stereotypes of the word based on their own past experiences and personal bias.