Last June, when I applied to be a writer for Odyssey at the College of Charleston, I never would have thought I would be offered the Editor in Chief spot after just a few short weeks. With an impulsive decision and a leap of faith, I decided, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” and said a prayer. A year later, I can honestly say I’m glad I did it.

Of course, a lot of things did not come easy. Starting out with a team of only nine people, I knew our community could do a lot better. I reached out to friends, peers, everyone I could think of. A lot of the feedback was encouraging, but a lot of the feedback was also very negative. “Odyssey is not a real publication.” “Gives journalism a bad name.” “Why waste your time?” Comments like these didn’t bother me too much, as I decided that I would prove naysayers wrong. And, as a team, we did.

As I worked to grow the team, our community became stronger. Odyssey at College of Charleston was slowly making itself known, going from less than 20,000 page views to close to a million page views in a single month. As we drove out quality content week by week, I began to feel more confident in what our team was doing (even if I really had no clue whatsoever).

Being in this position has taught me more than I ever thought about loving what you do. It really is the key to reaching goals and having success. Without it, what are you really able to accomplish? Are you motivating your team enough? Are they as excited as you are to share their opinion on a nationally recognized platform?

We can’t forget about the importance of patience as well. Oh, patience. It’s been such a necessity in this position. Whether it was emphasizing the importance of deadlines to writers or having no one show up to a team meeting (Really, guys?), all you could do is take a deep breath, learn from it, and move on.

This job has made me frustrated. It has also made me understanding. It has made me renew my love for sharing what I need to say. It has led me to other goals I have for myself. Being able to say something, have a voice, is so important. Odyssey has given milennials like me the platform they need to state their truth and experiences. Without that, where would we be?

o ahead. Say what you would like to say about Odyssey. I don’t mind, really. But I know that I have made great connections I wouldn’t have made anywhere else. I have learned to become a more effective communicator. I have learned that it really isn’t that scary to say what’s on your mind.

Thank you, Odyssey. Thank you for giving me what I thought I already had. It’s been one hell of a year.

Cheers.