When I was in high school, I was pretty much an extracurricular queen. I participated in four different sports, was active in several different clubs in my school, and a few clubs that were not affiliated with my high school. I've never really been the most naturally gifted student academically. I knew at a young age if I wanted to be successful, I had to apply myself in other areas. I signed up for every committee, club, group, and team that would accept me and I filled my high school resumé up. At the time I felt overwhelmed and incredibly occupied. Looking back now, I wouldn't have done any of it any other way. My involvement in extracurriculars truly shaped the person I am today. I don't think I'd have the time management skills, responsibility, or work ethic I have today without my activeness in after-school activities.
Going into college, I was super worried about getting involved outside of the classroom. College and high school are two completely different ball games. College is bigger, scarier, more intimidating than high school. College determines the kind of person you're going to be for the rest of your life. I knew at some point, I'd have to make an effort to involve myself in more than just my school work.
I went to all the activity fairs and club callouts and soon felt my once confident and involved self, shriveling up into a shy and reserved college freshmen. I wasn't used to being nervous about trying new things or being a part of a large group of people, but the entire college environment threw me off and shot my confidence in the foot. I needed a smooth transition from being so active in my younger years to being timid and scared to put myself out there in college.
Then, I found Odyssey.
At the start of my sophomore year of college, a friend reached out to me and asked if I'd be interested in writing on Odyssey. Odyssey is an online platform that allows young college writers to have their work published in a professional setting. Being a journalism major, I jumped at this opportunity. I was eager to see what I could do with this kind of responsibility. I quickly found that Odyssey was the perfect fit for me. It was low-commitment, since it only required me to submit one article a week, 500 words or more. There weren't many in-person meetings I had to attend, so It's not like I couldn't squeeze it into my schedule. I would have been stupid to not take this opportunity.
I've been with Odyssey for almost a year now and I can honestly say joining has been one of the best decisions I've made in my college career. About a month ago, I was asked to be my Odyssey chapter's president. I am now responsible for making sure the articles that everyone from my school's Odyssey group puts out are submitted on time and that the articles are following a certain standard. I get to interact with so many amazing writers, people who really care about the work their putting out into the world. It makes me so excited to be a part of something bigger than myself again. Odyssey couldn't be a better fit for me.
It's important to find something that gives you some purpose, whether its a club, a relationship, a job, whatever. Everyone needs something that makes them feel important or needed. Since involving myself with Odyssey, I've found that I feel more confident in the way I present myself. I feel like I have something to strive for or work harder on. It may not be a major responsibility, but it's important to me and it makes me happy. Everyone deserves something that makes them feel that way.
I encourage any college student who's looking to get involved to just put yourself out there. If something sounds like it could be interesting to you, why not give it a shot? You never know, you could find your new passion! Also, if you have any interest in writing at all, you should look into joining your school's Odyssey group! Most American universities have their own chapter and it's super easy to get involved in. If you're scared to take a big step outside of your comfort zone, try a baby step outside of your comfort zone. You'll never reach your full potential unless you try.