Anyone who knows me knows I love social media. I enjoy staying up to date with the most interesting trends, following bloggers, and stalking my favorite brands (KJP, duh). I love to read articles and I take a ridiculous amount of pictures.

When I heard that Saint Mary’s was looking to start an Odyssey community last spring, I jumped at the opportunity. I quickly sent an e-mail to the person I was told to contact and I eagerly awaited a response. At the time, I didn’t consider myself to be a great writer (to be honest, I still don’t), but I was excited to learn more about it and see if it was for me.

My first article went live on March 29th, 2016 and I’ve been consistently writing ever since. Additionally, I took over as Editor In Chief of the Saint Mary’s team in August and I’ve been loving every second. By being a member of SMC Odyssey, I’m gaining more than writing and editing skills.

Odyssey is genuinely the best thing I’ve gotten involved with since I’ve been at Saint Mary’s. For starters, it’s given me a place to share my voice and connect with thousands of people. Odyssey encourages and accepts all opinions, ideas, and viewpoints, which is easily one of my favorite things about this company. I believe everyone has a story to tell and there is probably someone out there who feels the same way as you.

Next, I’ve been able to build my leadership skills through my role as Editor. The first week I took over, we had four articles submitted. This past week, our team had 23 articles and 2 videos! I’ve been able to work with a variety of very talented writers and inspirational Saint Mary’s women. I look forward to reading their pieces every week and helping them promote their work and gain the recognition they deserve. Our team is growing each week and I’m so excited to see the impact we will continue to have through all the great things we write about.

Additionally, I’ve gained some amazing role models and mentors. Odyssey HQ is full of talented people who work hard every single day. Shoutout to my Managing Editor Ashlyn because she rocks and I would not be doing as well as I am without her. She pushes all of her Editors and Creators to be better than they were before and she keeps us motivated throughout the week.

Finally, I’m able to work on my social media promotional skills. Odyssey is mostly self-promotion - I am responsible for promoting my own article each week, my team’s page, and other articles my team submits each week. It definitely takes a lot of time, but I thoroughly enjoy it. Our team’s page views have increased by at least 5,000 each month and I’m so proud of that.

As you can see, writing for Odyssey is so much more than just submitting an article every week. Thank you to anyone who has ever commented, shared, liked, or talked to me about an article. I appreciate you all so much.

If you’re looking for an awesome thing to get involved with, consider writing for Odyssey! There are communities all over and it is so easy to apply. You don’t need to be a writer, and you’ll gain a lot more than writing skills.

Request an invite here.