A photo gallery depicting moments from Variety Staffer Maggie Monk’s time on staff is shown. Monk joined ODYSSEY Media Group the second semester of her senior year to push herself, and found a community. “Although joining the program this semester has been difficult, the people have made it easier with all the love and support they’ve shown me.” Photos by Izzy Duncan
Step out, step up
Variety Staffer Maggie Monk reflects on her experience joining the ODYSSEY Media Group in the second semester of her senior year.
Transferring to Clarke Central High School my junior year, I never really paid attention to ODYSSEY until I took Mr. David Ragsdale’s AP English Literature and Composition class. In this class, Mr. Ragsdale and my classmates challenged me to always dig deeper than just the surface.
Although joining the program this semester has been difficult, the people have made it easier with all the love and support they’ve shown me. I am confident in saying I made the right choice joining.
The thought of joining ODYSSEY never even crossed my mind until Mr. Ragsdale asked me to join, but the decision came surprisingly easily to me. I knew he would continue to push me to be my best and help grow my confidence in my writing ability in ODYSSEY like he did in AP Literature.
Within my first couple of weeks being in the program, I was assigned a story about a woman who had a history of substance abuse and fought to transform her life. Working on such a sensitive topic pushed me out of my comfort zone by forcing me to ask hard questions and create a safe environment for my stakeholder. With the help of my editors, I was able to successfully complete my first story.
Although joining the program this semester has been difficult, the people have made it easier with all the love and support they’ve shown me. I am confident in saying I made the right choice joining. I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to have such a unique and special experience in my last semester of high school.
