As a student mostly interested in science and math, I have always thought of writing as something I simply was not good at. This WR 150 class, “Representing Illness,” altered my view of what it truly means to be a writer. In the beginning, I was terrified of coming up with my own topic, carrying out my own research, and ultimately, attempting to write on an issue that I did not only believe to be important, but also relevant. I originally went down a few different paths, getting a bit lost in the large realm of mental illness, a topic I knew to be extremely interesting. After meeting with our class librarian, Ken Liss, I began to discover my interest in uncovering the misrepresentation of mental illness in our society. I slowly immersed myself in the current news stories of the Parkland shooting, and in formulating my research topic, I learned that I am much more passionate about writing than I had thought. I have begun to understand that writing is not as hard as I imagined it to be, and that even if you are not sure what or where you are going with something, in simply starting it, you are already on the path to success, no matter the road you take to getting there.
MIRANDA MELICI is a rising sophomore from Basking Ridge, New Jersey studying Health Science in the College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University. As a student hoping to pursue a career in medicine, Miranda has always been interested in culture surrounding diseases and illnesses. She would like to thank Professor Madsen Hardy, Ken Liss, and her peers for their endless and wonderful guidance, support, criticisms, and kind words throughout WR 150.