For almost two years, I've been a part of the Odyssey community for my university. Each week, I've shared my voice and thoughts about this and that, and I've also disclosed little personal accounts to my life that before would've made me a bit uncomfortable to reveal to a wide, unknown audience. But that's the beauty that comes with the Odyssey, it gives you the courage and motivation to step outside your comfort zone, and really, it's a pretty rewarding feeling once you know you get a positive reception from what you write.
Another factor that can play a hand in that are the other people that make up your community. Your fellow writers share something in common with you; you all want to get your voice heard and express yourselves in any way possible with what you write. Not only that, but it won't take long for this group of strangers you may not have seen on your campus or people you didn't realize took classes with you to become like a second family. From my experience, they're there with you whenever you need them and they'll give you the support and love whenever you're having a bad day or you're about to face something new and life-changing.
When I first started writing for the Odyssey, my expectations were the complete opposite of the reality. Before, I had been submitting articles to The Mighty, a website primilarily based on articles connected to people of different disabilities, diseases and disorders. There wasn't much to share about my disorder, as opposed to wider known topics like autism or ADHD. So I was a bit limited. But with the Odyssey, I had the opportunity to write about whatever I wanted, in whichever way I wanted. There was more freedom to expressing myself in another social media platform, one that was presumably more recognizable than a webite like The Mighty. From then on, I had free reign to share my voice.
I submit articles for this website once a week. That's the requirement. Sometimes it can be a bit stressful, especially when you have to juggle this with school or work. But mostly, it can be smooth sailing in the long run. As long as you have a good idea in mind, and maybe one, two, or three hours tops you can spare a week before the deadline, you find that it's not as hard as it appears to be.
The Odyssey has given me a lot during my time; a free platform to share my voice and ideas, a new and fulfilling experience, something that looks great on my résumé, and new friendships that I don't think could've been made if we hadn't met through the site. I'm very lucky and happy I chose to apply for it.
Shout out to the UAlbany community at the Odyssey!. Here's to much more fun times ahead!
