Odyssey is an online publications platform that allows millennials to write about topics that matter to them and that they are passionate about, and allows audiences to find these topics and ideas easily and effectively online. Odyssey makes great use of social media, as Facebook shares facilitate articles reaching wider and wider audiences and bringing more attention to issues real people are writing about. Odyssey is a great way to make your voice heard, and personally, I find it to be a great outlet for my frustrations. Odyssey allows me to speak candidly about the issues I face and the problems I see around me, whether those are with my family, friends, or even institution.

Part of writing for Odyssey, especially within your university or community, comes with an amazing opportunity for recognition. I can’t tell you how many people at Colgate have come up to me and shared their views on my articles, and it really means so much to me when people tell me to keep writing. I think Odyssey allows users, whether they are writers or readers, to appreciate the aspect of writing a bit more and encourages people to keep writing even if they do not believe in themselves or their abilities. Odyssey brings people together by uniting those who share the same views and are passionate about the same topics, and should you choose to do so, you can use Odyssey to speak about extremely personal aspects of your life that, more often than not, receive respect and admiration from your peers. Thus, not only can you learn a lot about yourself through Odyssey, but you can also learn a lot about your peers through what they share and what they relate to. People may not have known that I struggled with, and still struggle with anorexia, and since writing about my experience I have been approached by numerous individuals who shared their stories with me and offered support and understanding.

That being said, there are some nuances of writing for Odyssey that every writer knows to be true. Coming up with article ideas each week is not as easy as you would think, and I after the first few weeks I really had to dig deep to come up with something I even remotely cared about or thought was interesting. Deadlines are my worst enemy, second only to the Colgate Odyssey Story List where I can look at what others are writing about and think to myself, “Ugh, I should have thought of that.” Also on the top of my grievances is the way in which articles are published, as sometimes articles are published on Mondays and sometimes you are still waiting for your article to be shared by Wednesday. This is frustrating obviously, because articles shared at the beginning of the week will receive more shares and be seen by a larger audience, which is the entire point.

Regardless, writing for Odyssey has been an amazing experience that I would not trade for anything. Odyssey invites people to ask questions and learn from others in a respectful and effective way, and gives those of us who may feel silenced a platform to voice their opinions and be heard. I encourage everyone to write for Odyssey, even if you don’t consider yourself a world-renowned author, because that’s not what Odyssey is about. Writing for Odyssey is an unparalleled opportunity to have a voice within your community and beyond, and despite the fact that it is not perfect, it is remarkable all the same.