The Odyssey finds itself at the Home of the Cowboys with an incredible staff ready to share their views on social media with the students and world.

Buried in the southwestern corner of the Great Boot State is the bustling town of Lake Charles. Known as an industrial and cultural center in the southwest of the state, the city is also home to McNeese State University. With roughly 7,500 students, the campus is populated with a diverse range of students who are constantly trying to find ways to engage with their peers and the community in new and exciting ways.

Having a presence and impact on many national campuses, The Odyssey is just what McNeese needed for the student population to stay informed and entertained.

I am so excited to be leading the launch of The Odyssey at McNeese as the Editor-in-Chief. Of course, I couldn't do this without my incredible staff members. I have many unique and creative writers teaming up with me to help create an entertaining and resourceful social media outlet for McNeese.

We are all very thrilled to create some of the best local and national content just for you! We hope you enjoy all The Odyssey has to offer.

Meet our staff writers:

Mariah Allen: Mariah is a junior majoring in Biology/Pre-Med. She has been a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority, the Student Union Board, Colleges Against Cancer, Students for Life, the Pre-Med Society, and has written articles for The Contraband student newspaper. She would like to add new and exciting science in the news to The Odyssey at McNeese, along with keeping people up to date with the latest lifestyle in the news, what to listen to and not listen to, and getting students more aware of what is going on in the community.

Gandy Osburn: Gandy is a senior majoring in Mass Communications/Public Relations. She has been a member of Honors College, College Republicans Club, Athletic Engagement Committee, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Baptist Church Ministry, Residents and Housing Association, Public Relations Student Society of America, and she participated in the July 2015 McNeese in London Program. She has written many press releases for McNeese's public relations office and has tried out blogging and creative writing. When asked what she would like to add to The Odyssey at McNeese, she responded, "It could use a little humor every now and then! I hope I can help make people laugh when they read an article they can relate to. Laughter is a gift and I think everyone should enjoy it a little more often!"

Hannah Murrell: Hannah is a sophomore majoring in Business Management. She has been a member of the Student Union Board and will be a Rowdy Rider for Cowboy Camp 2015. She plans on going through Formal Recruitment this semester, works as a lifeguard at the Recreational Complex on campus, and is active in Intramural Sports. She has always enjoyed writing, whether it be personal work or essays for classes, and she is excited to write for The Odyssey at McNeese. She hopes to bring to the table articles that students can relate to and say, "Wow, this is exactly my life, what I was thinking, or how I felt."

Toni Winbush: Toni is an incoming freshman majoring in Mass Communications/Journalism. She plans on joining the Student Union Board in the fall or spring semester. She wants to contribute stories that students as well as the community can enjoy reading. "Whether its politics or pop culture, I'll do my best to keep it interesting, funny, and truthful!" She is also the Facebook social media director for The Odyssey.

Tammy York: Tammy is a junior majoring in English/Creative Writing. She is the secretary of Chi Omega Sorority and is a member of Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. She has recently started blogging, and she hopes to bring honesty and different perspectives to The Odyssey. "I wish to add a dash of progressive ideals and an appreciation for things considered different. Toss in a few humor pieces and pop culture and BAM!"

Kylie Smith: Kylie is a junior majoring in Criminal Justice. She is a member of Chi Omega sorority where she is an assistant social media marketer. She has journaled off and on since she learned to write and has kept a Tumblr for over five years. Her dream is to one day work for E!News because she is in love with all things pop culture and entertainment. "I want to bring a lot of myself out in my work and write about things of interest for other young adults."

Ryan Robledo: Ryan is a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He is involved in the Astronomical Society of McNeese, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, the Multicultural Volunteer Program, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Students for Life, and the Presidential Society of McNeese. He managed and wrote for WisdomCriethWithout.com for over two years. He says, "My somewhat nontraditional student status gives my college experience a bit of a different flavor. Pop-culturally more like the grad students, academically more like the freshman! I worked for over five years before coming to school, so I know what to expect in the workforce post-graduation! I hope to bring to The Odyssey content that encourages students to make diligence and a strong work ethic an aspect of their daily lives." He is also the Twitter social media director and photographer for The Odyssey.

Amity Delaney: Amity is an international student from Australia. She is a sophomore majoring in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism and is a member of the McNeese track and field team. Prior to attending McNeese, she completed one year of a degree in Media and Communications at the University of Sydney. She has had experience in writing articles for many assignments, and she said, "I want to bring to The Odyssey my personal views across a variety of topics in an engaging way that readers can identify with and be entertained by."

Averey Hollier: Averey is a junior majoring in English Education. She is a member of Chi Omega where she is the campus activities cardinal cabinet director, and she is also a member of the Student Union Board, the Greek Unity Board, the Newman Club, Habitat for Humanity, Students for Life, and the College of Republicans. She has been journaling for years and has shared some of her pieces on Tumblr. She is a fan of pop culture, style, and entertainment. "I hope to bring in some interesting, honest, and humorous pieces that other people will really enjoy!" She is also the Instagram social media director and photographer for The Odyssey.

Kaley Willis: Kaley is a sophomore double majoring in Mass Communications and Political Science with a minor in history. She is a member of Phi Mu, the Student Union Board, the Greek Unity Board, and the Society of Professional Journalists. She has worked as a reporter and photographer for Youth Journalism International for four years, and she has shared her writing on Tumblr for the past six years. She said that she wants to bring her "mostly weird thought process to The Odyssey in an interesting and honest way that other people can relate to!"

Tryfon Boukouvidis: Tryfon is an international student from Greece. He is a senior majoring in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism with a minor in Criminal Justice and Political Science. He is the Vice President of McNeese's Forensics team, a member of the Academic Integrity Panel, and has been involved with the European Student Association as Senator and Outreach Coordinator, along with being the co-founder. He has worked as a journalist for the College of Engineering, producing articles, covering events, and interviewing. "I want to bring a unique perspective in the form of interesting articles about a variety of topics to The Odyssey."

Emily Bissel: I am a junior majoring in English with Creative Writing and minoring in Latin. I am a member of Alpha Delta Pi, McNeese Honors College, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Pi Society of Leadership and Success, the Presidential Society of McNeese, have written for the school newspaper, and am the co-editor of The Log Yearbook for 2015-2016. I attended New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and studied in the Creative Writing discipline. I self-published my first book of short stories and poetry in 2012, and I have continued to enter writing contests, placing in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competitions and the Faulkner-Wisdom Short Story Competitions. I am excited to work as the Editor-in-Chief for The Odyssey at McNeese, and I hope to bring fun, interesting, relatable content to the students.

We have an incredible staff of writers, photographers, and social media directors, and we are ready to show McNeese and the world our talent and views in social media!