A photo gallery depicting highlights from Broadcast Staffer Daniel Cruz’s two semesters in the ODYSSEY is shown. Cruz reflected on his one-year-long experience in ODYSSEY and how it changed his art. “As corny as it was, it allowed me to find value in myself. I trusted my vision, my art, and it even helped me grow as an artist in other facets like photography as well. The love and care I experienced being a part of this program was like no other. It helped me grow into a passion that I knew I always had love for but never had an outlet to express it,” Cruz wrote. Photos from the ODYSSEY Media Group archives
ODYSSEY Media Group Broadcast Staffer Daniel Cruz reflects on his short but transformational time in the program.
It’s been sensational
My time in the ODYSSEY had a lot of ups and downs. When I first joined I was an arrogant senior who thought he knew how to take photos, and as I soon found out, I most definitely did not.
I came in with this idea that I truly had something very special to offer to the program, and that I was going to hit the ground running and absolutely change the game. Frankly, I hit the ground, spun out, crashed, and blew up. I was having some struggles at home and as much as I tried to not let it seep into my school life, at some point it became impossible to avoid.
So I stayed, and I’m so glad I did. Broadcast or “Filmmaking,” as I like to call it, along with Mr. Ragsdale’s encouragement, made me feel like I was finally doing something right, in a time where it felt like all I could do was mess up.
Regrettably, I simply wasn’t cut out to be a photographer for the ODYSSEY, and I felt like I really let my peers, Mr. David Ragsdale, my editor and friend Aza Khan, and most of all, I feel like I really let myself down.
In the end, I was switched from the Photography Staff and added to the Digital Staff as a broadcaster, which was the best thing that could’ve happened. Honestly, with how things were going I really should’ve quit but I was too scared.
I was too scared of the distant and disappointing looks I would’ve gotten as I walked past Room 231. So I stayed, and I’m so glad I did. Broadcast or “Filmmaking,” as I like to call it, along with Mr. Ragsdale’s encouragement, made me feel like I was finally doing something right, in a time where it felt like all I could do was mess up.
As corny as it may seem, ODYSSEY allowed me to find value in myself. I trusted my vision, my art, and it even helped me grow as an artist in other facets like photography, too. The love and care I experienced being a part of this program were like no other. It helped me grow into a passion that I knew I always had love for but never had an outlet to express it.
If I walk away with nothing else this year, I at least know that because of the opportunities this program gave me, I’m walking away with a newfound love and appreciation for myself, and my gratitude for that could never be expressed.
