Margaret Rausch

I think that the best phrase that describes me is "a lover of beauty." Gently falling snow can hold my attention for hours; the sound of an orchestra has and will always move me to tears. In these moments I am content, but snow does not consistently fall, and I do not attend an orchestra everyday, so I turn to writng to fill the empty space. I started to write when I was very young. If I remember properly, I wrote my first story in the first grade. It was about a family of ants, and I recall arguing with my mom about a spelling error I made. Ever since then, words have played an important role in my life. When I was heartbroken, I turned to the Romantics; when I was questioning my faith, Tolstoy became my voice of reason; and when I was feeling alone, a Jane Austen novel would take me to a world of innocent love. It may sound cliche, but in this life, my overall goal is to be genuinely happy. Whether that means teaching at the collegiate level, writing for a newspaper, or something else entirely, I will pursue the route that gives me the most joy. I do know that wherever I go, I will be writing. That is why I want to write for The Odyssey. It will provide me with a platform to share my thoughts. Instead of writing to an unresponsive notebook, I can communicate with the public. It is one step in the direction I hope to always follow.