There is an Editor-in-chief for every community that Odyssey has developed on a given campus or community. Within these various campuses and communities, Odyssey has grown into a news source that has attracted millions in a short amount of time. I, for the past four months, have been blessed enough to have the opportunity to edit dozens of pieces for the eyes on the Internet to see. Though I edit pieces that make my gut wrench because I truly do not agree with the words splashed on the page, I smile with pride knowing that someone with a differing opinion will have the opportunity to get their voice out there.
Recently, especially in my very own community, there has been a lot of talk about how Odyssey is not deemed as a news source. There have been reports from even professors who push for students to not work for Odyssey, claiming that they will not get anything out of working for this content platform Well, let me tell you how I feel about these claims, from the eyes of someone who didn't know what the Odyssey was, to someone that fights for the site every day.
When people come up to me and ask whether or not I am the Editor-In-Chief of the UMass Amherst Odyssey branch, I get mixed responses when I tell them that I am. Half of the time people smile and are impressed that I can handle such a hard workload. The other half asks why I waste my time. Well, "other half," let me explain something to you.
I do not waste my time. I had the grand pleasure of sitting with some of the members of the NYC editorial headquarters while on Spring break, and let me tell you, these people work extremely hard, harder than anyone I've seen in a while, to reach out to you, yes, you college students, to promote the purpose of their site. The Odyssey prides itself on building editorial communities to provide a platform where millennials' voices work to democratize the media. They circulate around the country, not just seeking large universities, but small colleges as well, to share with them the opportunity that secretly every college student wants to admit they want--the chance to have their voices shared with the world.
While working for the Odyssey, different news sources have criticized me for working with the company. While I admire their efforts, I choose to stay with the company because I truly believe this company is the best news source out there. No, it's not the New York Times, but, neither is Buzzfeed. News sources like Odyssey have an appreciation for personal perspectives, diverse story angles and amplifying local news and information so that everyone has something to relate to and a general audience to pick at our own thoughts.
For future writers, I encourage anyone and everyone to join. We editors look for writers with passion, with encouragement for others and with a certain level of charisma that could carry them through the general question: "Why did you choose Odyssey?" This social content platform has given me a voice beyond means, and I cannot thank them enough for that. Without them, I wouldn't have jumpstarted my personal blog, nor would I have gotten such responses from other businesses when they have had the desire to professionally publish my pieces.
Before you shoot to judge this company, or any company for that matter, ask yourself. What if my voice didn't count?
