Although I am very science based I have always been interested in writing. All through school English was my favorite subject. When the other kids would complain about the assigned reading followed by an essay, I would just be thankful we didn’t have math homework because essays and readings never bothered me. I enjoyed reading any type of book and I would even read ahead sometimes if I felt the class was going too slow. I remember I always received the English/reading award at the end of the school year. My teachers, and most of my family, thought I would for sure pursue a career in the language arts field.
As fitting as it sounded, I knew from the start that I wanted to grow up and go to college to study medicine. Sure, I loved to read and write, but I knew the first time I set foot in a children’s hospital that I wanted to help people.
It wasn’t until halfway through high school that I ran out of time for leisure reading. Of course I still took upper level English courses and always managed to do well, but it wasn’t the same. The rush I would get from finishing a great series, or the way writing in my journal allowed for a creative outlet for stress was something I had to learn to live without. High school for me was full of preparation for college; I took dual enrollment courses at the community college, while working a part time job to pay car insurance, all the while keeping up with my regular school work. I learned early that nothing worth having comes easy. I knew I wanted to go to college and I knew in order to ensure that I would have to work hard, which in return meant that some of the things like sports and reading for fun got pushed to the back burner to make room for homework and studying.
When I got to college I was able to pick up my love for writing and reading again. When I went to Ursinus’s activity fair I impulsively signed up to write for the school paper, the Grizzly. It wasn’t until later that week when I received an email with further information about a meeting that I realized that I didn’t know as much as I thought about writing, much less writing for a college newspaper. I went to the meeting and I was assigned my first story. I will never forget how nervous I was when I had to interview someone and then not write a story or an opinion, but a report. With each story I could feel myself getting more and more adapted and it took less and less time. I realized that it wasn’t so much a responsibility as it was a hobby. I enjoyed writing for the Grizzly, and I certainly enjoyed the praise I would get when someone read my article in the latest edition.
Yes, college is way more busy and hectic than high school was and I knew that coming in. However, I can honestly say that writing for both the Grizzly and the Odyssey has helped me in more ways than one. When writing for the Grizzly I wrote features, which entailed interviewing a student, or a professor on an assigned topic. This called for me to reach out to them directly and arrange a time to interview them with questions that I came up with to help write the article. Yes, writing for the Grizzly did take time, but the time and effort I put in was well worth it.
Through every experience the Grizzly has offered me, one of the best was of course, being asked to write for the Odyssey. Writing for the Odyssey is one of my favorite things to do because I can write whatever comes to mind, and I can share it with whoever I want. I grew up always wanting to help people and although my articles are just articles to some, to others I know they are helpful. Whether it be reassurance that they’re not the only ones going through a tough time, or just a quick article to laugh about before they start their day I take pride in knowing that most of the people that come across my articles enjoy reading them.
Apart from my readers, the Grizzly, as well as the Odyssey has helped me the most. The Grizzly called for me to improve my social and organization skills, as well as introducing me to a new form of writing. Writing for the Odyssey prompted me to open up my mind to search for creative ideas for a new topic every week. Being an editor for the Odyssey has also helped me in numerous ways and has since made me a better writer and person.
I am studying science in college right now, and it is still my dream to practice medicine, but I know now that I don’t have to have a degree to help, or make a lasting impact on people.
