Sydney Chiu

To the naked eye of a parent or roommate, it may seem like I'm in deep slumber. However, if one examines under the comfortably tucked covers, one will discover me scribbling furiously in a journal, illuminated under the beam of a flashlight. You see, inanimate objects sing me to sleep each night. The faint scratching sounds of my pen kissing the anticipating notebook pages are my lullaby. Born from abstract ideas, my words, bursting with energy and purpose, threaten to claw their way out of the paper. Writing has always been my solace, my therapy, and without this nightly ritual, I often find it difficult to sleep. Ever since I discovered this passion in third grade, I have loved journaling, tangibly proven by multiple completed “diaries" that line my bookshelves at home. For years, I have journaled under the privacy of my blanket; I have decided that it is time to share my experiences through my writing. The WashU community is a unique one. As a top-notch research institution housed in St. Louis, we live in a city of major socioeconomic disparity where we privileged students are trapped in something commonly referred to as the “WashU bubble”. I am one to be rebellious; I continuously strive to stretch this sheltered bubble of comfort until it breaks. I want to explore, reaching out to as many diverse peoples as possible in order to hear their story. Yes, I go to Washington University, but the key part of our university name is the prefix of its title: “in St. Louis”. Though we are active students at WUSTL, we are also members of a larger community, members of the St. Louis community. I have the desire to share my experience as a citizen of both a college environment as well as a greater community. The beauty of writing is that it can be universally shared, appreciated, and spread. Anyone can use it as a creative means of connecting people, elicit emotions, and share one’s experiences. And this is exactly what I intend to do as an Odyssey writer if given the opportunity: inspire through my words.