There are many reasons people write. Sometimes a student is forced to write a three paged paper on global warming and other times a person who struggles to put their thoughts into communitive words turn to pencil and paper for that cathartic release. Social justice poetry, sharing an opinion, sparking a conversation, exercising freedom of speech and press, recalling memories from moments prior – all are valid reasons to use written speech as a way to express thoughts, feelings, and opinions, all are valid things to share.

I write for one simple, yet equally complex reason: I want my voice to be heard, whether that’s by me, friends, family, or foes. I have all the abilities of a speaker excluding the biggest strength, comfort in public speaking. I stumble on easy words, and shake my knee as if I am shivering. Stutters, sentence fillers, and the inability to read social cues on understanding take up a majority of my allotted time. I once gave a speech that was meant to be 3 to 5 minutes long, and wound up taking 14 minutes and 15 seconds of my class’ time. I ramble, I think that much is obvious is here.

But I ramble because I am passionate. I am passionate about self-love, self-acceptance, body positivity, small ways to ease the effects of mental illness, and truly anything related to the well-being of myself and others. When someone says something negative about themselves, I am the first to counter those thoughts, through pauses and stumbles with moments of hesitation, and encourage them to seek acceptance within themselves. I once and still battle those thoughts, but one thing that has grown is my confidence in my opinion and perspective. I am an individual with a unique view, and I deserve to share that.

Writing, and writing for Odyssey lets me do that and has fostered my growth. I can’t tell every single person the moment they say something upsetting that they are worth the fight, or casually share the importance of my friends with strangers I meet at the mall, so I turn to the internet. Individuals across the world can read my words, hear my opinion, and hopefully be inspired. Anyone can read my articles on why it's okay to gain weight in college and how important practicing daily self care truly is. Through social media and metadata titles, my words can be discovered by many. One share, one search, one comment, all give people new opportunities to read my words and others alike and different. I may not change the world with one single article, but I do believe I have the power to change a person’s with my words.

Targeted to have content created by university teams of college students exploring the world of post-secondary education and the trials of self-identity, Odyssey invites anybody with passion and excitement to write. There are articles ranging from politics, to college packing lists, to the beauty potatoes really have to offer, and everything in between. Odyssey lets the millennial voice be discovered. There are blogs and website options out there as well, but joining Odyssey and volunteering to write can help us millennials gain some level of grounding in professional journalism, news or opinion related. Don’t know what to expect on your campus? Wondering what retail workers actually go through at closing time? Curious on the best restaurants in the Midwest? Odyssey provides an opportunity to learn all of these things, whether it is words written by a someone already, or ones to be written by you.

One thing that I think has truly plagued our generation is the belief we aren’t good enough or that our thoughts don’t matter in the grand scheme. Odyssey changes that. Often overlooked as insignificant or dumb, the voice of young adults and teens are crucial to changing the society we live in today. We may not have as much experience as the generations before us, but we do have as much wisdom, and excitement to share our view points while including the perspectives of others.

I am not the best writer, and this isn’t me being humble. I tend to use the same tropes and words, while maintaining a level of redundancy and seemingly an inability to end a sentence. I know my flaws as a writer but Odyssey knows that a perfect piece comes from a person’s original style of writing, not one that’s been fabricated by edits and grammar rules. It’s a voice sharing platform, not a writing competition. I am allowed to be my own voice through Odyssey, and that is so important to me as an individual.

Although I have heavily focused on Odyssey's strengths as a blogging platform, I have to say that I have learned so many things since joining the UWRF Team. As an incoming freshman, I feared finding a group I would accepted and appreciated in, and Odyssey allowed just that. I've learned what it means to be a part of a group where everyone is open to share, and how important it is to develop a sense of community. I've learned leadership skills through my role as an Editor-In-Chief, and that perspectives of each kind are appreciated. I've even learned how google operates and why tags are so crucial. Most importantly, I've learned to be me.

My voice deserves to be heard and my interests' explored, and so does yours. What's holding you back?

Apply for your community today.