Hello everyone, my name is Erika Aland. I am currently a senior at Weber State University. I am majoring in English with a Communication minor. I have never changed my major, but I have changed my career goals. I have decided against becoming a librarian. At the moment, my plans are to become an editor, maybe at a book publishing company. I love to read all kinds of books, though my favorite genres consist of fantasy, adventure, and romance. Two years ago, my friends and I decided to start a book club. We read various genres ranging from classics to science fiction. I also enjoy editing the works/writings of other people. I love learning the rules of grammar so that I can better improve my own writing and the writing of others. I remember that I wanted my high school teachers to give me a list of grammar rules. They never did; instead, they taught me as we went along.

I have lived in the city of Roy for my whole life. I am the oldest child in my family of six. I have one brother, who is currently serving an LDS mission in Oslo, Norway, and two sisters, ages 15 and 11. I have a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel named Ginger. My dog is named Ginger because there are two redheads in my family.

In my spare time I cross stitch, listen to music, and play the piano. I have spent many years developing my musical abilities and my favorite piano skills include sight reading and accompanying large and small ensembles. I have participated in different choirs throughout my education, though I still prefer playing the piano to singing. I derive pleasure from going to movies. I especially enjoy introducing people to new books, movies, or TV shows. I firmly believe the greatest joy of discovering and experiencing a new story comes from sharing the adventure with someone else later on. Right now, I am really into superheroes, especially the Marvel movies and the TV shows The Flash and Arrow.

The highlight of my summer consisted of my family celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of my grandparents. We chose to travel to California where we visited the beach, Universal Studios, and the Disneyland parks. This trip was probably the last big hurrah my extended family will do together.  

I am currently working at Crane Field Golf Course in Clinton where I take tee times and occasionally drive golf carts around the course. I was a member of the golf team for two years in high school, though I do not play as much as I used to. However, I golf right handed, even though I am left handed, because my family did not want to buy specialized golf clubs.

By the end of this editing class, I hope that I am better at spelling without the use of spell check and that my writing will be more precise when I want it to be. I am better at writing long, elaborate sentences than short, to the point ones.

Overall I am looking forward to this class and getting to know everyone.