My friends and family always ask why I write for The Odyssey Online.

They ask why I add to my already overwhelmingly heavy work load. Personally, for me, Odyssey is an outlet of emotions. I’ve always been into writing for fun. I’m 20 years old, and I still keep a journal of anything that comes to mind. Even though I’ve never been spectacular at writing, I’ve always enjoyed it. I am the type of person who is extremely sensitive to her surroundings and has more then enough emotions to go around. Since I began writing for Odyssey, I’ve noticed that I’ve had a lot more control over my emotions. I think that's because every time I feel something, I write it down. Sure, I don’t submit everything I write, but nonetheless, it helps.

When I began writing for Odyssey, I wasn’t very driven to do anything and just wasn’t in a good place. I felt pointless because I knew I had a voice but had no way of sharing it. Now that I’ve been writing for a little while, I feel like I’m a lot more excited about everything in my life. Even though I may not be reaching an ample amount of people, if one person reads my article and it means something to them, then I feel like I've done something good.

Odyssey has also been a blessing because I've been getting to know some amazing people. I would never have crossed paths with them, if it hadn’t been for Odyssey. Even though I’ve never met any of my fellow creators and editors, I feel really comfortable talking to them. I can go to them when I need some inspiration or help writing an article, or when I need to tell them the extremely embarrassing thing I did in class that day. The Boston team is really supportive of each other’s articles, and I always look forward to every Monday or Tuesday when I can read everyone’s articles. Everyone's talent is insane.

I don’t see Odyssey as an addition to my work load at all. Odyssey is the one little thing that I have control of in my life. I pick what I want to write about, and other than suggestions for improvements on my articles, no one really censors me. There isn’t anywhere else where I don’t have to censor myself. When I'm at work, school, and even around my family and friends, I have to watch what I say, because not everyone shares my opinions. Through Odyssey, I can speak my mind and be myself.

The Odyssey has been a blessing in my life. Who knows? It could be one in yours, too.