This might be weird but I call Odyssey my quiet space for a reason. Obviously, it isn't a "quiet" space since my articles are shared into the world, along with whatever personal experience I write about in between the lines. But it is my safe space. For some reason, I feel safe writing on this platform, I feel loved writing on this platform, and I feel appreciated.
Apart from the breaks that I may take from writing on Odyssey, the Stony Brook Odyssey community will always be in the back of my head. I think of the articles I have written, the ones that gathered the most views, the ones that haven't, and I see them all as an extension of myself. The words I used, the pictures I put for my articles, are all just a part of who I am. My identity.
Without Odyssey, I wouldn't have overcome my fear of sharing my stories. Odyssey has helped me realize that so many others are going through the same thing and that sometimes sharing my story is a part of allowing others to be brave enough to share their own. Often times, my friends would occasionally ask me how I can share my personal and traumatic experiences online, and I simply smile and say "it's for the good of the world." I don't write just for myself. I write for the happiness of others, for others to see that they aren't the only ones, for others to feel safe knowing that there's someone else in the world just like them.
I was lucky enough to start writing for Odyssey in my freshman year in the summer of 2017. Looking from today, that would be a total of almost four years writing for Odyssey! (with gaps in between) Writing has always been something I've wanted to do with the rest of my life, whether it's through paid projects, blogging, writing a novel, or of course writing for this platform. Writing is an outlet for me much like for others, its either through listening to music, singing, or watching shows, etc. I write because I want to be able to use the emotions I have to create stories for others to find comfort in, I write so that I can create beautiful things, I write because my emotions can sometimes be too much to handle.
Odyssey will always be a part of me even after I graduate Stony Brook. The articles I've written here were mostly true and based on my real experiences. My poetry represents the types of situations I go through and how I've dealt with them. My profile is me. I am my profile. Everything I've written is raw, real, and honest. Nothing is exaggerated.
I will keep writing, and I won't ever stop doing the thing that I love.
