If someone has a broken arm, the basic procedure is to visit a doctor. If a house catches on fire, the first thing someone should do is call 911. If someone is running out of good books to read, the first thing someone should do is visit media specialist Jennifer Sosna in the library.

Although she is head of the De Soto High School media center, reading did not come naturally to Sosna.

“I had horrible learning disabilities, so it took me forever to learn how to read,” Sosna said. “Around fourth or fifth grade, I had a really awesome teacher who just started shoving all kinds of books in front of me, and that [passion for books] is when it really took off for me.”

Currently, Sosna’s favorite books include To All The Boys I’ve  Loved Before by Jenny Han, The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee and 500 Words or less by Juleah del Rosario. Because of how often Sosna reads, her list of favorite books seem to change frequently.

Although Sosna cannot credit one single book to how her career started, she describes her love for all books to be the reason she became a media specialist.

“Overall, my love for books has put me where I am. I still always geek out when all the [book] awards come out. To me that is like the Oscars or the Golden Globes,” Sosna said.

She also credits her passion for picture books as a reason to why she works with hundreds of books everyday. When she was an elementary teacher, picture books showed her how important literature was for growing minds.

“[Reading is important] because, for one, you get to go places you would never be able to go. You get to see other people’s lives and their perspective on the world. But it [reading] also gives you an opportunity to learn,” Sosna said.

According to Sosna, reading is a powerful tool that also brings people closer together.

“If you are able to have a conversation with someone on the street, or you are sitting in the airport for 14 hours and you can have a conversation, the information talked about in the conversation was more than likely found from reading and that is so important,” Sosna said.

Other than striking up conversations and broadening horizons, Sosna explains books to improve intelligence and successfulness. For her, “reading is like breathing” and she wants that to be the case for young minds around the world.