Early last summer, I was beginning my first internship at Illinois Corn, taking two online classes, and trying to prepare myself for the year ahead of me. To say the very least, I was stressed out. One decision that I made in that time was to apply to be a writer for Odyssey. When I came on the team, I immediately had a sense of worry.

I have been writing my whole life. It is one of the few things in this world that helps me understand what is going on in this crazy, mixed up brain of mine. I have gone back many times and read things that I wrote when I was young and they take me back to the feeling that I was having when I wrote them.

Writing has always been something that I have done completely for myself. It was something that I would put in a notebook and hide away under the bed. Only to be found three years later, when I read them and reminisce and then hide it again. Long story short, the only people to ever read my work were English teachers who would tear them apart because I was more focused on the content than the grammar.

There I was, with a brand new, empty writer's dashboard on my very own Odyssey webpage. I was about to write something that I was expected to post on social media for all of my friends and family to see. I wasn't sure if I was ready to show my work to the world; but, I knew that doing this would help me in the long run.

So, I took a deep breath and opened a new article page and began to write. I'm sure that my first article was tainted by that nervousness. I had that fear in the back of my mind, holding back some of the creativity that I would usually pour into my writing. That first article may not have been my best work, but sharing it on my Facebook page was the first step toward becoming more confident in my writing.

Writing for Odyssey has done so much for me. These are just a few of the many things that Odyssey has given me.

1. Confidence

It has made me a more confident person. Though it still makes me nervous when I hear people talking about my work, I know that I am getting more comfortable with people reading my work.

2. Experience

As an Agriculture Communications and Leadership major, I know that writing will one day be a huge part of my career. Having so many writing samples on hand when a potential employer asks for them will surely be a huge help. On top of that, I see my writing becoming better each and every week. Practice makes perfect, right?

3. Friendship

I knew some of my fellow creators before they became creators but I have also met many new people. Though most of my friends from Odyssey I have only spoken to virtually, having people to talk to who love writing as much as you do is such a great experience.

4. Comfort

Having a reason to write every single week is so comforting. It's almost like my weekly outlet of everything on my mind. Sometimes it is stressful to have to meet a deadline each week, but once I sit down to write I am always thankful for the hour or so of stress relief.

Odyssey has given me so many things and I am excited to see what it brings to me in the future. I began my journey with Odyssey completely unaware of how it would change me and the way that I see my work. I am so thankful for the opportunities that Odyssey has given me and I am excited to keep writing!