Before my time with Odyssey, I always knew I had untapped writing potential that I had not put into to use yet. Writing had always been something that I enjoyed doing but never had a true passion for. Whether it was non-academic writing or research papers, I always felt like I was able to express my individuality, something that I've struggled with throughout my academic career.
Coming to Odyssey made me realize a lot about what I'm capable of and what I'm interested in. Having to submit content every week really forced me to be engaged and be involved with what's going on in the outside world and not just on campus.
With being a content creator on the forum, you have the leeway to learn about and write about anything that interests you. This is important to me because it seems like the majority of journalism forums on GW's campus focus mainly on Politics. While politics is an interesting topic, it is a polarizing topic as well that may not be accepted well by a certain audience.
Odyssey has opened so many doors for me. Now that I have journalism experience under my belt, I am now more inclined to partake in journalism sometime down the line again. It has also done wonders to my writing skills. It also helps with my academic writing as well, especially with having to get my point across in a small number of words.
Partaking in Odyssey freshman year is something I won't regret because the responsibility in its self is good for any new college student. It gives you purpose and your own voice that you can share with the world. As it's my job to educate my knowledge, I also learn in the process of making content.
Having the opportunity to be apart of Odyssey is a win-win situation. Some might think the weekly content submissions is too much of a responsibility, but in my experience, the weekly content submissions were more like a break from class work for me. I never viewed having to write content as work, but more so one of my hobbies that I looked forward to.
While summer has brought on new challenges and responsibilities and as my time with the Odyssey comes to an end, I value this opportunity immensely. Life brings you different opportunities as you progress but its also good to remember where you started.
To wrap things up, I just want to thank all the Odyssey creators and editors for such an amazing forum. I will undoubtedly be an avid follower of Odyssey for the foreseeable future. I highly recommend anyone interested in Journalism or Blogging to join the Odyssey over any other forum. It really provided me with a genuine platform where I could be myself and thrive.
Everything comes to an end, but I am grateful for the work that I've put in and the experience. I'm very happy about what is in store next.
