I became editor-in-chief for Ohio Northern University’s Odyssey team last February. When I first took up the position, our team only had around five members who were contributing regularly. Once I sent out an email to the student body inviting people to join us, we gained about 11 new members in two weeks. It was quite the accomplishment, and it brought our member count from five to 16 very quickly. Since then, this number has fluctuated back and forth, ranging from 10 to 17 members, which before now was the maximum number that we ever reached.

At our last Odyssey meeting, the team and I discussed different recruitment tactics that might be efficient in gaining new members. Little did I know the team would do such an incredible job recruiting that we’d see the second largest spike in Odyssey invite requests our team has ever received within a week. After just seven days, Odyssey at ONU welcomed aboard seven new members. Before this spike, we only had 15 Creators on board; now, we have broken our record of 17 members with our new record of 22. This is huge because it means in less than a year, Odyssey at ONU quadrupled in size. This could not have happened without the admirable determination and work ethic that our Creators at ONU possess. I am so proud!

These 22 wonderful Creators write about current events, poetry, short stories, personal anecdotes and experiences, and so much more. At Odyssey, we now have the opportunity to submit a series of pictures or a video for our weekly article, so there is room for all sorts of creative activity. Our members are some of the most creative, intelligent and, kind-hearted people I know, and I am so fortunate to be editor-in-chief during this time of team growth. I can’t wait to watch how the new members develop on this social media platform, and I am thankful for the success ONU’s Odyssey team has seen in the past few months!

I encourage any college students reading this who are not a part of an Odyssey community to join. You don't have to be the world's best writer, you just have to have passions and unique perspectives that you want to share with your community and the world. It has been an incredible experience to say the least. You can join ONU's Odyssey community here, or visit theodysseyonline.com/apply to request an invite to an Odyssey community in your area. If you're lucky, you'll get the chance to be a part of an Odyssey team of exceptional Creators like I do.

Here's to 22 members--and many more!