I grew up in a rural farm town in central Ohio. I got involved in OotM quite by accident, when a junior high English teacher asked us to write down the many uses of a common dog bone. For the next five years, I became quite obsessed with OotM and all it offered me. We didn’t have some of the resources that we saw many of our competitors with, but it didn’t stop us from sharing our creativity and passion for learning. I credit much of my organizational and leadership skills to OotM.
More important, though, is the passion for problem solving I have received by living and breathing OotM as an impressionable teen. I no longer view a “problem” as an obstacle, but instead, consider it a great opportunity. As a physician, I find myself tackling old problems with a new point of view, something that many of my colleagues are fearful of trying. Medicine is an incredible art, just as much as it is science. I believe my career will continue to be blessed thanks to the skills I gained from my years as part of OotM!
Athletics will teach a person hard work and teamwork. Orchestra will offer discipline and the importance of regular practice. Student government can supply leadership skills and social networking. Odyssey of the Mind will provide all of these and more. OotM prepares a person for a lifetime of facing challenges head-on without backing down. I owe more to Odyssey of the Mind than I do to any experience I had in the classroom.
~Scott M. Rogers, participant & volunteer