Undergraduate / Comics; UIUC - interest or experience [6]

Hi, can anyone give me some feedback on my essay? Grammatical-wise, essay quality-wise? Thanks so much.

Essay 2
Tell us about one interest or experience of yours that allows us to get to know you better as an individual. (300 Words)

I always spent my childhood mornings waiting for the newspaper, but not for its news. I waited for my daily dose of joy and wonder- from its comic section. Each comic I read invited me into its own special world, unique in art style, characters, and story. After every comic, I felt excited and hungry for more.

This was what inspired me to be the cartoonist for my school newspaper. Our newspaper never had a comic section before, so I gladly took the advantage and created my own comic strip, with my own unique style, characters, and story. The newspaper staff loved it, and from then on, our school newspaper had a regular comic section.

Initially, I put in the comics just for the sake of showcasing them. However, it began to mean more that. Sure, I felt happy expressing my artistic and creative skills into comics. But I realized nothing made me happier than when students and teachers told me how my comic brightened their day, and they looked forward to the next issue. I realized that by creating comics and sharing them, I gave people the similar kind of joy I experienced while drawing them. A medium of passion, my comic strips, could make people smile and laugh, and temporarily escape the stress of the high school environment.

Although my small part in the newspaper was not to give news, it was to give people joy and laughter, which was just as important. With all of this positive feedback and comfort, I was encouraged to continue creating comics. But furthermore, I was encouraged to be brave, and be an explorer.

I want to explore the many other ways in which I can also use my artistic and creative skills to help people all around- even if it is as small as a smile on their faces.