Alumni Profile Julia Wilson by Dalace Thomas

Q&A: Julia Wilson

By Dalace Thomas

ODYSSEY alumna Julia Wilson speaks on her ODYSSEY experience and how her time within the program has shaped her future.

Photo taken from 2005 Gladius

Years on staff/ Year graduated 2002-2005

--Job(s) on staff?

Photographer, Viewpoints Writer and News Editor.

Above: SENIORITIS: ODYSSEY alumna Julia Wilson smiles for her senior portrait in the the 2005 Gladius.

What was your ODYSSEY experience like?

Photo courtesy of David Ragsdale

I was on the startup of the ODYSSEY. (We) had zero money and not a lot of support from staff and administration because it was brand new. I think that made us strong as a team and a unit because we were starting something brand new and no one had ever done this type of newsmagazine at CCHS. Our team was really strong, we got along great. It was absolutely from the ground up. We were learning as we went, we had no idea what we were doing. When we went to the(Georgia Scholastic Press Association Conference)at/(the University of Georgia), we were just blown away by how established other newsmagazines were compared to us.

Above: FAMILY BOND: Graduating ODYSSEY seniors attend the second annual ODYSSEY banquet.

How did ODYSSEY contribute to your high school experience?

I think the ODYSSEY gave me sense of belonging. Both of my parents were English teachers and so I loved to write. It gave me an outlet to get my creative juices flowing.

What were your friendships like on staff?

You spend a lot of hours with these people and so you get know them. I guess the thing for me is that the people on the staff were from all different walks of life. It wasn’t just everybody in the same clique. You got to form friendships with people that you might not normally form friendships with and I think that is fun. It makes you branch out, it makes you appreciate people and get to know people that you wouldn’t know otherwise.

Below: ALL WALKS OF LIFE: The second semester ODYSSEY staff of 2003-4 smile for the camera in front of Clarke Central High School.

Photo by Dalace Thomas taken from Feb. 2004 ODYSSEY Newsmagazine.

What is your life like now?

Photo by Dalace Thomas taken from the 2005 Gladius.

Above: MEAN MUG: This is the 2004-2005 ODYSSEY Newsmagazine staff.

I did Public Relations at UGA for six years after graduating from college and used a lot of my ODYSSEY experience there.Now, I work part time for my husband, who is an attorney,and so I don’t get to use as much of my journalism background as I used to. I previously had a blog (that) was my outlet for writing and so I think my ODYSSEY days really came in handy when I was blogging.

Has ODYSSEY had any affect on your present day life? If so, how?

I probably wouldn’t have gone to journalism school. I was originally a magazine major at Grady College and then I changed my major to Public Relations my sophomore year. I definitely would not have done that. I probably would not have stayed in Athens if it weren’t for ODYSSEY. Grady College (of journalism)has such a wonderful journalism program. I had no reason to leave.

They offered me a really good scholarship, so I said, “I could go to a journalism school up North in the freezing cold or I could stick around here and get paid to go to school and (go) to one of the best journalism schools in the nation.”

If you could give any advice to a current/ in-coming staffer, what would it be?

Photo by Dalace Thomas taken from October 2004 ODYSSEY Newsmagazine.

Stretch yourself. Whether you are stretching yourself on what kind of stories you are writing or if that means stretching yourself (to do) a topic you are not used to or you feel uncomfortable with, just stretch yourself because that is how you grow and how you learn. When you go to college they are not going to say, “Do you want to write for the sports section?” They are going to tell you what (section) you are going to write for. Get as much experience as you can. Make connections.

Above: TO BE OR NOT TO BE News editor Julia Wilson, wrote a “head to head” about whether or not dance is a sport along with copy editor Phil Stice in Volume 2, Issue 3 of the ODYSSEY.

If you could give any advice to a current/incoming staffer, what would it be? (continued)

Connections are so important. You don’t realize that when you are in high school but when you get in college and you try and find a job,it really matters who you know. When you make those connections, treat them well and with respect because they are your future employer, they are your future colleague, they are people that will make references for you.I made a connection when I was in that class and the lady I worked with ended up hiring me for my first job. I think as an 18-year-old you don’t think about how important it is to have those connections and meet people.

Photo by Dalace Thomas taken from 2003 Gladius.

PICTURE

Above: SOPHOMORE SMILES: ODYSSEY alumna Julia Wilson poses for her sophomore yearbook picture in the 2003 Gladius.

I always say to people your age, “write thank you notes.” Ya’ll live in a day in age where a text message or an email is appropriate to you and your peers, but when you are dealing with somebody that is 40 or 50-years-old, they want a handwritten thank you note. That means everything because people don’t do it anymore.