I LOVED my high school experience, which made me have pretty high expectations for college. However, my expectations were far from met, which was probably my own fault. I wanted a break from the busyness of being super involved with clubs and organizations (like I was in high school), so my sole focus freshman year was on academics. Since I chose to not be involved on campus, I did not meet as many people or love the college experience as I expected I would.
The second semester rolled around, and in addition to not being involved and not meeting many people, I no longer had strong connections with some friends back home like I expected to. Overall, I really just missed the way things were in high school.
At some point in the second semester, I saw one of my friends share an Odyssey article on Facebook. I have always loved writing, but never really had a platform to do so. I did my research and realized that as a creator for Odyssey, you can write about whatever you want (with a few limitations here and there.) You are also held accountable for submitting content on a regular basis. The more I thought about it, the more I saw being a part of the Ole Miss Odyssey community as something I not only needed to do (to put myself out there and meet new people) but also something I wanted to do.
As I was filling out the application to be an Odyssey creator, I felt like I was taking the first step into blooming where God had planted me. I loved the idea of being a part of Odyssey because I felt it provided a way for my voice to be heard in the midst of feeling like just another face on a college campus that didn't know how to get involved.
Although I'm still not necessarily in love with the college life, I'm on my way there. I've finally started taking steps in the direction of letting go, moving on, and growing up. I've really just been at a peace as I try new things and rest in the fact that God has me where I am at this point in my life for a reason.
So here's to you Odyssey: thank you for getting me out of my comfort zone to try something new and helping me learn to bloom where I am planted.