I love writing about trials for the character, developing the fantasy I explored as a child. Sharing these worlds is nice, but the real adrenaline comes from writing. I have an itch to travel and a love for information diving. I believe that's one of the better rabbit trails that have arisen while writing. For some reason, reality seems more attainable when one can write. Though, from dragons and magic to dreadful mysteries in the deep south, a writer can capture the attention of those around them. Oral stories are just as important, if not more, in my culture. Children have learned through stories in the winter, listening to our elders speak about how The People were made and the animal spirits that have become corporeal to help The People survive. There are lessons to be learned in every good story. How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes teaches about awareness and greed. Coyote, The Trickster teaches how cunning and resourceful one can be to get what one wants. Today, stories are also a way to get juvenile offenders to pay attention to their actions. Youth between twelve and eighteen in our tribal courts are expected to learn from their alleged offenses and show the court how they take responsibility that can better serve their community. Alternate sentencing guidelines in our court allow children to have the opportunity to tell a story, whether through writing or any other means they can easily execute. Sometimes, the Youth write apologies and string sentences together to narrate a story in essays on certain topics. I enjoy guiding them, finding their strengths, utilizing them, and how they have more value than they may think. Writing by hand has been linked to emotional regulation and ties the writer to the truths they etch. Native American youths are subject to a litany of scrutiny while sharing our reservation with non-tribal people. The youth may paint a picture of our community and practices in any light. My job has been identified as guiding them to use the tools they've developed to begin a life of success and release from what has been holding them back. There have often been revelations of a breakdown in families where these youth suffer and are subjugated to a life they would like to walk away from. When these youth act out their anger and frustrations, or perhaps guilt, in a way that catches the attention of law enforcement I'm there to help them straighten their path. These children are not criminals, only storytellers of the chaos and sadness where it has been injected into their lives. My reason to further my education is to help them write a satisfying ending, rather than an abrupt halt halfway through an early chapter.