Over the past month or so, Odyssey has been going through a lot of changes. Many of the people who work and write for them have felt angered and upset by these changes, myself included. I took a couple weeks to just take a slight step back from Odyssey to clear my head and decide if I wanted to continue working for this platform. I have reflected over these past weeks and here are the reasons why I am so thankful for Odyssey and why I will continue with this platform:

1. I get to be myself.

Odyssey is a platform that allows me to stay authentic with my writing. They do not tell me what I should or should not write. I am allowed this freedom, and I am so thankful for it. I am not asked to bend my morals or try to be someone I am not. I am not the typical college student, and I have found other college-based platforms expect you to be. If you are not, they expect you to conform. Odyssey does not force me to do that, and I have been able to stay true to myself in my writing.

2. The people I have connected with are truly amazing.

I have had the privilege to meet so many great individuals through this platform. I absolutely love connecting with my creators on my campus, and without Odyssey, I probably would have never met them. There is a group of EICs I am a part of that are beautiful people, inside and out. It has been such a great experience getting to know them and bonding with them, despite being in different states. My old ME was and still remains to be one of the best individuals I have come to know. She always put her EICs first and made sure we were doing OK, not just with work but also with daily life. She inspired me and countless others to become better writers and simply better individuals.

3. I am able to become a better writer.

Odyssey has allowed me to become a better writer than I was prior to writing on this platform. This has come from working one-on-one with MEs where we brainstormed article ideas and ways in which my pieces could improve. I have also been able to grow by reading other creators' pieces and learning a new writing technique from them or a new perspective on a certain topic. As an editor, I am able to become better by helping someone else improve their writing skills.

4. I have gained experience.

Odyssey has given me the opportunity to gain experience for my résumé. I am a public relations major, and writing is a necessary skill to have. This platform has given me a new writing technique that I can later use in my career. Also, Odyssey uses AP Style, which is heavily used in my major. I have been able to better my skills using this style through my writing and editing.