In January 2016, I logged onto my Facebook to catch up on the day’s events when I saw an advertisement for the Odyssey. One of my college classmates was excited the Odyssey was coming to Eastern University and had just joined. It sounded like a potentially good experience, especially since this was the field I wanted to pursue, but I was afraid of rejection. After much debate and a little courage, I requested to join. Initially, I was an English major who was looking for more writing experience, but this opportunity turned into so much more for me and renewed my relationship with writing.

I write because I am passionate about the power of words.

The Eastern Odyssey Community has given me a platform to use my voice to make an impact. Whether it is sharing my opinion on politics or bringing a community together over a niche listicle, words have the power to inspire and stir emotion in readers. I cannot begin to describe how excited I get when people comment or share my article. It is wonderful to know that people have identified with my words.

I write to share my opinions.

People who know me will tell you I have an opinion on everything, which is pretty accurate. The Eastern Odyssey Community has given me a soapbox to use for topics that matter to me. I can discuss my opinions on the election, the latest celebrity scandal, or something going on within the Eastern University community. In the process of writing my opinions, I have learned and grown from reading and hearing others’ feedback.

I write because I am in control of my storytelling.

The Odyssey is one of the few platforms I know that lets its Creators have this much control over article topics. Most media forms have their editor assign stories to the writers, but with Odyssey, the Creators have freedom (within reason) to pursue the stories that matter to them. In one month I wrote a book review on Harry Potter eight, a piece on grief, an article about being a Jersey Girl, and a piece about being a writer. I picked all of those topics and had the creative freedom to do it in the way I chose.

It is true my time with the Eastern University Odyssey Community started as a way to gain experience as a writer; but over time, it became more. As a Creator, I develop ideas, put them into words, format my articles, and share them with the world. Over the past eight months with the Odyssey, I was able to work my way up from Creator to Editor in Chief of the Eastern Community. So far, it has been the craziest most satisfying experience of my life. None of this would have happened, if I never requested to join the Eastern University Odyssey Community.