There's something very ingenuine and dishonest about writing generic articles with titles like "Most Binge Worth Series on Netflix." When I applied to Odyssey as a content creator, I was asked what story I had to contribute to the Wagner Community. I believed that I could share my unique perspective and social commentary. However, I have realized that the more generic, impersonal articles get the most attention, and it's easier to get more shares. I was disheartened as my more personal articles weren't being shared although I believed they had a worthy message.

I sat the other week, writing my article, trying so hard to make my article "relatable" by avoiding things that seemed too personal. And it got shared. It got shared a lot more than most of my articles so far. But I wasn't happy with it. It was 500 words of general statements and pointless observations. I decided in that moment that that wasn't my calling as a writer.

Writing, especially now, with limitless sharing on social media, has the power to reach so many people of all sorts of different ethnicities, experiences, religions, and political views, and I believe that it is a writer's responsibility to spearhead change. As writers, we can spread awareness of current events, of points of view, of our own unique voices.

This semester, I worked on The Normal Heart, a play written at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, meant to raise awareness of the plague that was spreading through New York City like wildfire.

The main character is a writer named Ned Weeks who is routinely chided and scolded for his willingness to say what's on his mind in crude and coarse ways. It's his main character trait and his ultimate downfall.

But I'd rather be controversial than ignorant.