This being my last article for Odyssey, I wanted to share some insight as to why I chose this internship in the first place, why writing is such an important part of my life and why I will continue to write into the future.

Writing and blogging have been a part of my life now for the past four years. These activities have allowed me to reflect on my own experiences, as well as share what I have learned in my life to help others. For the following three reasons, I feel as though writing has allowed me to experience life on a deeper level:

1. Writing has inspired me to do things outside my comfort zone.

Although I do like to write about experiences in everyday life, some of my best writing and blogging experiences have been when I was out of the country, off experiencing all that the world has to offer. Throughout my travels and adventures, I have been driven to write all that I have learned because it makes the experiences that much more interesting and meaningful. With this drive to both “write something worth reading” and “do something worth writing,” I will be sure to always go outside my comfort zone to experience all that life has to offer.

2. Writing has pushed me to discover more about myself.

Because writing allows me to fully reflect on my experiences, it has pushed me to be very self-reflective and truly think about who I am and where I am going in life. One thing people say about me is that I seem to really know myself; I know my goals and my passions, and I know what I will and won’t do to abide by my faith. Although I believe this claim to be mostly true, I am definitely still figuring it out and being shaped into the person I want to be, but I do believe that writing has helped me a lot in this continual process.

3. Writing has given me the courage to share my thoughts and experiences with others.

It is not always easy to express your feelings into words, let alone share those words with the world. Although writing has always been and will continue to be important for me just because it's something I enjoy doing, a part of it has also become about sharing my story and inspiring others through it. The fact that my words may make an impact on someone, whether I know them or not, is an encourager for me to keep writing and doing what I love.

---

As I move on from writing articles every week for the Odyssey, I know that writing will still be a large part of my life so that I can continue learning about myself and sharing what I learn with the world. Being a content creator for Odyssey over the past few months has further shown me what all I can do with my writing, and for that I will be forever grateful.