Tempe Artists Are In The Vicious Cycle Of 'Create Art, Go Unnoticed, Become Discouraged'

In January 2019, Tara Shultz and I (Lauren Hernandez), wrote an enterprise on the Tempe arts community. This enterprise unfolds the struggles many artists in Tempe and in college at ASU go through to get noticed.

"Tempe is one of the only Arizona cities that does not offer an award to recognize local artists. The Tempe Arts Committee is in the process of changing that by introducing an award that will celebrate a variety of artistic contributions in a community where art appreciation is scarce."

STORY LINK: An enterprise solutions piece on the inner workings of the Tempe art scene

To The Girl Who's Afraid To Break His Heart, Do It Now

"When I met him, I was coming off of a nasty breakup with a boy I was completely infatuated with. This boy was always on my mind, and just the thought of him gave me inexorable butterflies. But that ended as passionately as it had started. It wasn't pretty."

Above is a good insight into the article Nikki Soto wrote. You can always count of Nikki as a reporter and to give her all in a piece. This was my favorite article of February, and if you like this one you should definitely check out the rest of Nikki's articles.

STORY LINK: Here's why you should never put off a breakup

My Weekend At Devour PHX, One Of Phoenix's Hottest Food Festivals

Local content is something our team encourages as much as possible. Creator Alexis Kwan wrote about one of Phoenix's hottest food festivals known as Devour PHX. Kwan gives insight into one of the best ways college students can save money.

"In exchange for a 9-5 shift volunteering on one day, you could enjoy the festival as a ticket-holding guest the alternate day. What that really means is in exchange for helping teach guests about composting and handing out wine glasses all day, I got to sample dishes from Phoenix's most acclaimed chefs for free."

STORY LINK: How a college student can hack expensive food festivals

An Open Letter For Anyone Who Has Lost Their Grandma

Emmie Keenan wrote a touching piece about losing a loved one. This piece was posted on The Odyssey Online's Facebook feed a couple of times, and it was a very proud moment for our team! This article was written in an open letter style, and it can help anyone going through a similar situation.

"People say our loved ones come back to watch over us in the form of a cardinal, and if that's true, then sometimes I see you. I see you in my dreams, I see you in the small things that tend to remind me of you."

STORY LINK: A piece of my childhood

I Took A Gap Year Off School And It Was The Best Thing I Could've Done

Hoi Ming Lee McVey wrote a narrative on the two weeks she spent traveling with her boyfriend. From Salt Lake City to Horseshoe Bend, McVey found a love for traveling, and it encouraged her to take a gap year off of school. Read McVey's article to learn about her travels and see all the images she took along the way.

"Anyway, all these pictures and stories are the reason I took a gap year. I think that being able to experience, even for a moment, a life that is fully in your control is so refreshing. That's the best part about vacation, your responsibilities are narrowed and you become caught up in the moment doing something you love. So, why not take a year to learn how to take on responsibilities efficiently and do some stuff I love?"

STORY LINK: Pictures and stories from my road trip

I Didn't Get An Internship This Summer Either, So Don't Beat Yourself Up Over It

Dom Davis is our creator of the month for June! Davis wrote an awesome article talking about the importance of not being too hard on yourself during college. This includes learning to accept failure or that things don't always go as planned.

"This summer is yours for the taking so just because you couldn't get an internship, doesn't mean you can't still make the most of it."

STORY LINK: Man don't worry about it. It's all good.

8 Freshman Mistakes I Made During My First Two College Semesters So You Don't Have To

The first listicle to make the top 12 is here! Kiarra wrote a listicle featuring the 8 mistakes she made during her first two semesters of college. Read this article, and see if you relate!

"College is all about finding out more about yourself and working towards your future. With that comes a multitude of mistakes that anyone could make. But, mistakes are good!"

STORY LINK: The clownery really jumped.

Losing Weight Does Not Require Constant Obstacles And Rocket Science, Just Simple Dedication

Hailey Forbis finished the month of August off with a powerful and strong article about the obstacles of losing weight. I made sure to include this article because I thought it was very relatable, informative and honest.

"But keep in mind, food should never be something you stop eating. All those fad diets that celebrities rave about don't work — in fact, they cause more harm than good because oftentimes you force your body to cut out healthy fats and energy sources."

STORY LINK: Losing weight is quite simple as long as you remain consistent

Who Benefits Most From The Impeachment Inquiry? Elizabeth Warren

You can always count on our EIC, Mitchell Zimmermann, for a politics update! Our September piece features Zimmermann's article on who benefits the most out of The Impeachment Inquiry. This article was featured on The Odyssey Online's Currently page as well!

"Now, all aside from the political drama that will play out in Washington, one person is sure to be cash in the rewards from this situation — Massachusetts Senator and presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren."

STORY LINK: Elizabeth Warren has kept up with Sanders and Biden throughout the entire campaign. But now it's her race to lose

Is e-cigarette use behind the lung illness epidemic?

Jacob Newberry joined ASU's The Odyssey Online team with a lot of new ideas including interviewing. Interviewing and researched pieces are always encouraged, and Newberry does exactly this in his vaping piece. To learn more about vaping and the current epidemic, give this piece a read!

"The bottom line is, don't start vaping if you haven't already. If you have, don't buy products off the street, that have been modified and beware of counterfeits."

STORY LINK: What you need to know about the vaping epidemic

Living life in the fast lane

For the month of November, I am featuring my article "Living life in the fast lane." I wrote this piece to highlight the importance of being young, excited and spontaneous!

Learn how I pulled off a spontaneous trip to San Diego in less than 24 hours, and a day before my flight back home! Spending one whole day in five cities I can remember, multiple cities I passed by, a classroom for an hour for a quiz, and a car and airplane for 8 hours.

"It was one of the craziest and definitely the most spontaneous things I've ever done, but I would do it all over again because I think it is important to live in the moment and never have regrets."

STORY LINK: Sometimes it's important to take that spontaneous trip

My favorite Christmas traditions

The last story we are featuring is Autriya Maneshni's Meet the Reporter of the month. Each month, our reporters are given a topic to write a minimum of 100 words about as an effort for their readers to get to know them better!

We introduced this idea this year and it has gone successfully! Maneshni's article is a heartwarming piece of her favorite Christmas traditions.

"My favorite Christmas gift that I've gotten is actually from this year. My mom got me a small Michael Kors bag and it is the first designer bag I own. She wanted me to feel like a grown-up college student with this bag and I am so thankful because I absolutely love it. I usually do not care much about brands and designer things. The only brand I remotely care about is Converse but now I have this awesome bag to flaunt."

STORY LINK: A series where the audience gets to know the ASU Odyssey reporters