by Jordan Smith

   As a kid, I was exposed to “Harry Potter” from the get go. My mom read every book when they first came out. Each time a new book in the series was released my mom would start from book one and read all the way through until the newest one; every single time.  I guess my obsession with “Harry Potter” stemmed from her.

   When I say obsession, I don’t mean it lightly. I almost got a Harry Potter themed tattoo, and still might, but that’s beside the point. Every year when a new movie came out I was at the movie theater ready to have my mind blown. Still to this day I can quote almost every scene in each movie. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s pretty close to the truth.

   Those who have seen the movies I think can agree that each movie brings a new type of adventure. And honestly, who at one point in their life hasn’t wished they could do magic?

   “Harry Potter is pretty good. I like how they managed to keep all the same actors because when movies don’t, that’s so annoying,” Rebecca Wilkinson, a student here at CMU, said.

   Aside from the consistency throughout the series, Harry Potter also touches the hearts of so many people. It allows us to love characters by the end that we absolutely despised in the beginning. The movies show different personality characteristics within each house, and it makes me wonder which house the sorting hat would have placed me in.

   Harry Potter is, and always will be, my favorite movie/book series, but I can also respect the opinions of others. So many great movie series exist so I was curious to see what other students here on campus thought. Taylor Whitehead said that “The Hunger Games” series is her favorite.

   “I’ve been to every midnight premiere for Hunger Games,” Whitehead said.

   Other favorites among students included “Toy Story,” “Jurassic Park” and “Star Wars,” to name a few.

   I have seen many movie series that I thought were incredible and ones that I have watched over and over again, but nothing will ever compare to “Harry Potter.”

   I guess for me, Harry Potter is a great opportunity for my imagination to go wild. As ridiculous as this sounds, I love imagining what my life would be like if I went to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’m still waiting for the day when a large hairy man crashes through my door to hand deliver my acceptance letter into the wizarding world.

Until that day. I guess I’ll sit here and enjoy the adventures of Ron, Harry, Hermione and friends through my television screen or the pages of a book.