Hello Internet World,
In June 2017, I was on a FaceTime call with the EIC of the ISU Odyssey Team, Christine O'Malley. We were on this FaceTime call because I had decided to apply to be a creator for Odyssey. After a 20-minute call about politics and all the interesting things I wanted to write about, she offered me a position as a content creator. Fast forward to almost two years, 73 articles and 18,000 page views later, and here I am. And, this article is me saying goodbye to something that I have had with me throughout college. I know it's time to say goodbye, but I don't want to.
This is a tough goodbye, but one that needs to happen. Although I love being an Odyssey Creator, it is not an easy job. As I mentioned above, I'm 73 articles deep. Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with 73 different article ideas? It is mentally draining, and I simply have nothing else to write about. And yeah, I could write a million articles about why AOC is the dumbest decision to come out of New York, but that just wouldn't be original. And, I could also write those "Open Letter to ___" articles that we all get made fun of for, but again, there wouldn't be any substance to them, and they would fade into mediocrity. To be completely honest, I've been forcing myself to write for the past few months, and I simply can't do it anymore.
I will never forget the first article I ever wrote for the Odyssey, it was entitled "I Was Raised Republican And I'm Not A Racist." I was so proud of that article — it was my baby. The day after I posted said article, I got called a "fascist" for posting the article, and that's when I knew that this was going to be an interesting experience. Fast forward a year and a half, and I have had the privilege of starting an interview series with one of my favorite rappers, Free Platinum - I've written articles about topics that I've been passionate about, and I've been featured on Odyssey's Facebook page a few times.
Having an unpaid writing gig may seem dumb, however, this job has given me more than money ever could.
Because of this group, I have met some of my best friends. We have gone through everything together, they've seen me at my highest, they've seen me at my lowest, and they're still here. They've seen me get my heart broken, and they've seen me rap Eminem's verse from "Forever" at our parties. They are family, and I love them all dearly. To anyone who is considering writing for Odyssey: DO IT! You will grow as a writer, as a student, and as a person. You will meet some of the greatest people in your life, and you will love every minute of it. Thank you Odyssey, you will forever hold a place in my heart.
Raise a glass to all of us, tomorrow there will be more of us.
Sincerely,
Dimitri D. Sotos
