I have been writing for the opinion section for two semesters and now realize this is one of the few places I feel comfortable expressing my opinions.

In class or in some social situations, I find myself trying to censor my opinions in hopes of not stepping on any toes.

Sometimes it’s scary to put my thoughts on controversial topics out there. What if I get shot down? What if someone brings up a contradicting opinion that sounds way better than mine?

There are so many issues going on globally that should be discussed by our generation. Instead, they are brushed under the rug in fear of offending someone or sounding unintelligent.

Some topics are touched upon, but not in an in-depth way, not in a way that challenges me to think critically in that moment.

The chance of any really good dialogue is stifled amongst young people because everyone is so afraid of not being politically correct, sounding racist, prejudiced or even just overly-opinionated.

The times I have the most courage to speak out about an issue is through the safety and comfort of my own home — meaning Facebook.

When I’m able to take my time to respond, maybe Google a couple things to make sure I’m not talking nonsense, that’s when I truly feel OK with stating a strong opinion.

I hide behind these cyber walls to be able to truly say what I mean, but when it comes down to having these talks in real life, I tend to stay quiet.

So, although I’ve written for the opinion section for a while, even bringing up heated issues like sexism, riots, physical appearances and abortion, it’s time to find the courage to speak up about hot topics in the real world.

Maybe I simply need to better educate myself and become more finely attuned to news and politics to gain that confidence.

My opinions matter, your opinions matter, so now is as good a time as any to speak up about them.

Julianna Eveland can be reached at [email protected] or @janeca12 on Twitter.