I can't believe it's been almost a year since the first time I joined the Odyssey. The time went by so quickly. My first article was posted November 20th, and my last one, January 8th. It was a short run, and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I would come back.

Part of me was scared to write about the personal aspects of my life — things I'm not necessarily willing to share online. And, really, that's what I thought the Odyssey was all about: silly listicles and articles about mental health. First of all — I'm horrible at making lists. Second of all — I'm more of the type to "suffer in silence."

I was a little concerned about views. I wanted to write material that people would read, and when I realized that, I discovered why I was having a hard time creating content I was proud of. I wasn't writing what I wanted to.

There were some perks to writing for the Odyssey: I tried a new writing style. I mostly stick to fiction, essays, and the occasional non-fiction piece, but never article writing. I figure, any writing is good writing — and any publicity is good publicity. The Odyssey forces me to write something every week.

I got some home-town recognition, too. Over the summer, several people questioned me about my writing. When did I start? Is it what I'm going to school for? I got lots of compliments, people saying I show a lot of potential as a writer. (Which only made me cringe because I suck at taking compliments.)

I met one of my best friends. Callaghan, my schools' fearless editor-in-chief. She invited me over to her dorm one mid-November afternoon last year when I first started writing. She offered to do my makeup — something I don't do myself, and at the moment I was like, "Why not?"

Since then, we've been great friends. Now, our days practically revolve around each other. We always eat together; breakfast and dinner, sometimes lunch if we find the time. We go to the library and complain about homework instead of doing it (that's probably more me than her, to be fair). We have This Is Us dates and writing sessions. I've taken to calling Callaghan my "Soul Mom." She always has the answers, which is a perk to having a friend that's a senior. It also really sucks because she'll be graduated next year, but through her, I've made a ton of friends.

Even though my first stint was very quick, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I posted my writing on Facebook for the first time and that was a big step for me. And now with some new confidence and a new attitude, I'm ready to begin writing about what I think is meaningful.