Writing has always been something that interested me since I was younger. This interest most likely stemmed from my love for reading. I remember being back in preschool and my teacher brought me down to the main office to read a book to the principal. I was so excited because it was one of the first books I learned to read that wasn't a picture book. That moment kind of reinforced my idea of reading because it was something to be proud of. Even today, there are times where I cannot do anything else except finish the book I'm reading because I need to know what the rest of the story is. From this enthusiasm and excitement stemmed an interest in writing.

In the spring semester of my freshmen year at Western New England, I decided to apply for a writing position for The Odyssey team at my school. I had seen a bunch of articles that other students had written floating around various social media platforms and became intrigued. After about a week I had learned that I had been accepted and began working on my first piece. Since then I have written over 50 articles and received so much support from my family and friends. Just five months into my journey, I was offered the position of Editor and Chief for the team. Now I didn't just get to write articles, but I was able to help other students find their voice and provide them a platform to share their thoughts, opinions, and passions.

Under my leadership, everything with the team seemed to be running smoothly and productively, but then something changed. I stopped writing. Not just for the day, not for the week, but indefinitely. Now for those of you who are close to me, you probably know this wasn't something I chose to do on purpose. Back in February, a reorganization of management and loss of our dedicated and hard-working Managing Editor significantly altered the productivity of our team. For myself, it placed a huge burden on my shoulders because I now had to do everything on my own. For a long period of time, I had no contact from anyone at headquarters and the entire process became less personalized. My weekly calls with our managing editor that were essential in the strengthening of our team became a thing of the past. I had no one to turn to for help in running my community who also had the experience and skillset to help us succeed. While the leadership and guidance were still there, the burden of everything started chipping away at me piece by piece until my motivation to write ceased to exist.

But now things are different. Country singer Carrie Underwood once said, "Every day is a new day, and you'll never be able to find happiness if you don't move on." As I write this piece exactly eight months since my last one was published, I am grateful. I am grateful for this opportunity to express myself and I am determined, now more than ever, to help this community thrive. I believe that I now possess the skillset to take this team to the next level and just giving up is no longer in the picture. So for all of you who enjoy reading these articles, hello again. Today is my new day.