Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about The Odyssey team that I write for. This week, I’m going to answer two of the most common questions.

Why do you write for the Odyssey?

If you’re curious about a new idea or a matter in the world, there’s a guarantee that you are not the only one. And the only way to educate yourself and others about this matter is research. And when you research there’s a guarantee that there is an Odyssey Article that pops up on your google search.

Contributing Author’s for the Odyssey strive to teach and educate others about real world problems and real world issues that we face every day. When we challenge the ideas of others or research common ground on a subject, we can produce an article that is not only beneficial for the common good, but beneficial for those who want to see a matter from a different perspective. I choose to write for the Saint Martin’s University Odyssey team because I want to produce articles that trigger people to think in new ways.

As we grow to see matters from a different perspective, we grow as individuals. We are all raised with different morals and ideals, which ultimately means we react to a situation based on the beliefs we learn at a young age. We never have the same reaction to an event, so as we share the interpretations that we have, we learn to broaden our thoughts and stay open minded. To grow into a well-rounded individual, we need to educate ourselves with new perspectives, and even share our thoughts on matters. When someone shares their thoughts on a topic, do not belittle them or tear them down, because we can learn from others by thinking in new ways.

“You don’t get paid?! What do you even get out of writing for the Odyssey team?”

Well, when you write an article every week that (hopefully) hundreds of people see, you learn a lot of new writing techniques! First, you learn to utilize a stronger academic vernacular because it projects a serious tone in your article when necessary. You also learn to get past the unsolicited writer's block. Coming up with a new idea to write about every week is hard. But as I go through my week and something becomes curious to me, I just decide that’s what my next article will be about. If you have any ideas for an article, let me know!

Writing for the Odyssey also helps me become a better writer. I learn to write in ways that appeal to the writers that I am targeting. Finally, I do this gig to (hopefully) make an impact on others. I want to encourage others to think freely and to stay open minded. Beyond that, I wanted to motivate and educate. My favorite teacher from high school wrote a short, but strong passage in my yearbook at the end of my senior year. “Be ashes not dust.” I want to be remembered as a strong writer who always gave way no matter the backlash. So, the best place to start is here.

I write for the SMU Odyssey team because I can teach others, while learning so much myself. If you want to be a contributor see if your campus already has an Odyssey team and join! If your campus doesn’t have an Odyssey team, be the start and get one going! The Odyssey is a great start to a world of new perspective.