I joined Odyssey halfway through my first year at school. I had seen Odyssey articles before, mainly on my Facebook feed. Most of them were relatable and funny, a few were touching and heart-warming. When I saw that Odyssey was looking for more writers at my school, I was interested but also intimidated! I had never really been a "writer" before, besides what was required at school. Sure, I had a ton of ideas swirling in my head, but I never had my own platform to express them the way that I wanted to. Luckily enough, Odyssey gave me just what I needed to get started! I eagerly began typing out a list of article ideas for the future, things that had been just sitting in my head for months with no output! And from there, I wrote my first, second, third, and so on, article.

Your Odyssey team is full of creative people. In my own experience, my team has been able to help each other out, propose new topic ideas, answer questions and bounce ideas off of each other. This is especially helpful if you're having writer's block or if you have an idea but aren't sure how to completely formulate it. The editors are all helpful and have never been demeaning in any situation. It has been so fun to share ideas with other students that are around my age to gauge what they thought and to get second opinions. It has also been so cool to see how I have aided with an article that wasn't mine.

I'm from out of state, so being connected to all of this "local journalism" has helped me learn more about the state that I go to school in. Many people on my team are in-state and have written articles that share about the "secret places you need to visit" or the "best restaurants" in my school's state. This has made me feel so much more at home in a place that is actually hours away from my home. The networking and friends I've made through Odyssey have definitely made my decision to join that much better!

Meeting other students with different majors, backgrounds and stories will definitely help you out in your first year of college. So, if you're looking for a place to freely express your opinions and thoughts, or to feel more connected to the community, Odyssey is definitely the place for you!