I started writing for Odyssey the summer between high school graduation and my first year of university, in 2016. I am now almost halfway through my second semester of junior year of university, and things have changed a lot. On a large scale, we have a different president, the university has a different chancellor, the statue which stood at the front of campus for longer than anyone I've met has been alive is gone, the #MeToo Movement has come alive in force, MJ said The Ceiling is the Roof... Its been three and a half years. Just about everything has changed, and I've had the pleasure, honor, and challenge of writing about all of these issues.
On a personal level, I've met some really amazing people, voted for the first time, gone through a messy breakup, interned with a wonderful company and a fascinating law firm, become contributing editor, then editor in chief, and then president of Odyssey, changed my major, become a Dressember advocate, started taking a 1 second video every day, read some really interesting content (shout out to the Meme Examiner, along with many, many others)... I've lived with a lot of different (and wonderful) people, and the computer I'm typing this on is not the same as the one with which I applied for Odyssey, due to a tragic mid-sophomore finals computer crash.
You're probably thinking "yeah, yeah, we get it, Miranda, literally everything has changed." That's only kind of true. While I've written a lot of articles about all of the things I've mentioned, I've also written articles about high school friends, about "my team," about my passionate defense of traditional agriculture, about my love of the Federalist Papers, about attending an international school, about my love of Greensboro, NC, about Americans abroad, and about my wonderful family (see photo above). I've seen a lot of change, but I've also seen a lot more consistency than the girl applying to Odyssey quite frankly expected. Most consistent of all is my #hottake on being busy.
My point is, a lot has changed, and a lot has stayed the same. Through it all, there's been the consistency of Odyssey as a community of writers, and as a platform for me to share my understanding of the world around me, something which is so valuable, especially in college. I'm so grateful to every person who has been here along the way for this weird and wonderful journey. Some weeks have been a little controversial, some have been a little funny, and some have been a little odd - thanks for sticking with me and, a lot of the time, reading my stream of consciousness. I've really enjoyed getting to share my thoughts, ideas, and gratitude these last three years!
