I never really thought writing would be my thing. Sure, I'm an English major and I always loved writing stories when I was in middle school (thanks teen angst), but I never saw myself as one who could write to express myself.
I was made to believe that nobody cares about your feelings, or about your life experiences, but that all changed when I joined Odyssey.
People will ask me what Odyssey is about, and I never even know where to begin. I used to say "it's an online writing forum, like BuzzFeed and Huffington Post," but months into my position as a creator, I realized that we are our own platform. We aren't a blog, or a news page, or an entertainment site -- we're all three, and so much more. As a creator, we are encouraged by teams of fellow creators and editors to speak from our hearts and our minds. We take our real life experiences and use them as fuel for our articles. We express ourselves in a way that comes natural to so many of us, and we are a community because of that.
I've gotten to know so many people from across the country because of the Odyssey. I've met people that come from different races and ethnicities, people that identify with the LGBTQIA community, people who have different lives and different views than my own, and it's changed my own life. I've gotten to know so many incredible and beautiful people, and they've become my support system. I can trust these people, ask them for advice, and look to them when my day goes sour. They're people I can rely on in life, and ones I'll never forget.
I want to thank Odyssey, and the incredible human beings I've gotten to know because of it. I'm able to express myself freely and happily, and know that I've got the hands of fellow creators and editors to hold when times get tough. I'm able to relate to and confide in the creators in my community, or other editors in chief, and my managing editor has become someone I can trust without hesitation.
So if you ever wonder why I write for Odyssey, or if it's the right thing for you, I promise you that it's something you'll have to experience for yourself, because it is truly life changing, and life saving.
A special thank you to the creators of the Heart Land Community, and my managing editor, Samantha Allen. You guys mean the world to me, and I'm blessed to have you all.
