Forever is Composed of Nows

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Amaya finds her voice at MSA.

Written by Haylee Sharon, student-contributor

Emily Dickinson composed letters at a small desk in the corner of her childhood room. But her letters were far from ordinary. She wrote about Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, about nature’s impact on society, about friends, family, and even protesting taxes. She scribbled poems about loneliness and depression on scraps of paper and left them scattered around her room. Though she wrote constantly, Dickinson had little interest in sharing her work—or in the publication process at all.

Like Emily, senior Amaya Stickley began writing in a personal journal during middle school. After school, she would sit on her bed and pour her feelings onto the page, calling it “someone to rant to.” At first, her journal entries had little structure—just a pile of words. But over time, they evolved into stories and poems. And like Emily, Amaya rarely shared her writing. At times, she felt insecure about it.

When she arrived at Miller, she immediately noticed how different it was from her previous school. The environment was more hands-on, more engaging. With writing-focused courses taught by published poets and novelists who gave thoughtful feedback, Amaya began to grow as a writer. Surrounded by inspiration, she started to connect more deeply with her work.

By sophomore year, Amaya joined The Maverick, Miller’s literary magazine. There, she found a community of fellow writers—many of them in her advisory—and quickly became the director of publicity in addition to serving on the general committee. “It was great to get more involved,” she said. “And it was pretty rewarding.”

In the fall of junior year, she enrolled in Ms. Gottschlich’s creative writing class. “It was probably the best class I have taken,” Amaya said. The small class—just six students—regularly shared their work aloud. That intimate setting helped ease the pressure of standing behind the podium. With each reading and each round of feedback, Amaya grew more confident. Encouraged by Ms. Gottschlich, she submitted a fiction piece to Spring Honors, Miller’s annual celebration of student work.

To her surprise, her piece was selected, and she was invited to read it aloud at the ceremony—on her birthday. “I was really nervous,” she admitted, “but I put on a dress and did it anyway.” For someone once hesitant to share her writing, this was a big moment. She ended up winning the award for best fiction piece, and the experience gave her the motivation to keep sharing. She returned the next year and won the spoken word category as a senior.

Emily Dickinson once wrote, “Forever is composed of nows.” Without the encouragement to share her work, Amaya might never have found her voice. The opportunities she found at Miller may have seemed small in the moment—and often daunting—but they helped shape who she is. Today, she’s still part of The Maverick crew, still competing in Spring Honors, and, above all, still writing.