About a week ago, I received an email from my managing editor here at the Odyssey. The title of her email and the question she was asking us writers was simple but profound: "Why do you write for the Odyssey?" Over the next few days this inquiry milled through my thoughts. Why exactly was I spending hours of time weekly to write articles for this website? From the outside, it may seem crazy that I chose to spend a large portion of my summer working extremely hard for something with little to no pay. Sure I was gaining experience and building a resume, but those were just minuscule and meaningless perks if they were all I gained from this experience. The truth is, I do not write for Odyssey for the pay or for the recognition, and its importance to me goes much further than the obvious surface benefits.
It may seem curious that a student aiming to be a child psychologist would be so involved in writing, both creatively and journalistically. It seems natural for me, though, because I have always loved reading, and my passion for writing followed suit. I had often written short stories and poetry just for fun, but I had a deeper urge to write more opinion based pieces. I felt that my thoughts and my voice would definitely be the most effective if I were able to share them with others, but I found this difficult to do. Sure you could talk with your friends at the cafeteria table about current events, but that wasn't exactly widespread coverage. Odyssey was the perfect environment for me to express my opinions as it was serious but also relaxed and modern which is a perfect balance for our generation.
I love the Odyssey's ability to connect like-minded people across the world, but I also love the freedom that it allows me creatively. All of my editors are relatable and receptive. They let everyone on our team write from the heart and encourage us to express ourselves in any way that we see fit. They are so inspiring because they work unbelievably hard to give us a creative outlet that we might not have otherwise. I am so thankful to have spent the last few months growing as a writer and as a person under their guidance.
If you are not part of Odyssey then I definitely encourage you to join your college's team of authors! Odyssey is more than just a dinky club or organization to a lot of people. It's a way to tell the story of ourselves and our generations, and it's a way for those who love writing to connect and share their passion. Even if this type of team doesn't appeal to you, I certainly encourage you to support your friends that are involved. You have undoubtedly seen Odyssey articles on your Facebook and Twitter feeds. Rather than being annoyed at their prevalence, you should check a few out. You might be surprised at what your friends have to say. Reading and spreading their articles could affect you, but I'm absolutely positive that your "likes" and "shares" mean the world to them.
