I remember the first time I ever entered my local library, a rush of cool air had greeted me and beckoned me in from the summer heat. There was nothing special about the library at all, it was just like all the others I had seen in my nine year existence before I had moved to New Jersey. There was a Reference Desk to the right busy with patrons checking in and out books as the Children's Section to my left sat scarce with only the Children's Librarian to keep it company.  Carefully I entered the section and was awestruck as I glanced up at the ceiling to see a beautiful mural of sea creatures swimming through the depths of the ocean. The blue of a Sperm whale mixed well with the green of a sea turtle as they looked at each other happily surrounded by other smaller fish. I smiled at the painting then darted to the small bookcase filled with fairy tales and adventure. I ran my tiny fingers along the spines of the countless novels before me and wondered what kind of secrets they held. I picked out a red book with wispy black markings and pondered if this was the novel that would finally teach me how to talk to people properly. Then I picked out another and another, wondering if within these thin white pages I would find something incredible and amazing. In that moment I fell head first in love with the library and the immense amount of knowledge that filled it.  

As I got older my love affair with books and the library soon became troublesome as I would forgo conversation and bury my nose in a book instead. My step-mother soon discovered that no matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she pushed, I would not be involved with anything that did not have to do with the library. I joined the Teen Advisory Board at my local library the moment I turned thirteen and immersed myself in the world of volunteering. Up until that time I was a quiet, timid girl who refused to speak because I was afraid my tongue would get in the way. I feared my peers and I feared becoming something other than the self I knew. But slowly my lips began to loosen as I started to work with people of all ages. For the first time in my life social anxiety did not constrict my every move. For the first time in me life I felt free to be something more than what I was.  I volunteered at every chance I had and soon received the Presidential Award for my hard work.  Not only did I gain friends through these experiences, I also gained a family and a relationship with my community. These experiences also taught me that anyone can change with a little push and that I want to be the lynch pin that causes that change in another timid youth by being a Young Adult Librarian. I am well prepared to achieve success at Rutgers University with this well powered dream. This is my one chance, my one hope, to help someone like me and I will not let it pass me by.