Hello WWU Odyssey,
At the publishing of this article, I will have left my position as President of the WWU Community. When I took the job back in October, I was hesitant. I wasn't sure I was right for the job, despite being told that I was. I was convinced that my introverted personality and my fear of confrontation would get in the way of building our team. I'd never used Instagram before and I was thoroughly overwhelmed my first week.
However, a few months in, I hit a groove. I found the onboarding strategies that worked for me. I found many great creators to round out our team and to provide their voices for WWU. I've loved getting to see you all grow from your first article and writing about things you're passionate about.
That's exactly what Odyssey is all about and it was absolutely my honor to provide you with that opportunity. I'm inspired by you and your articles every single day. I am going to miss being your President.
I hope that as you continue your Odyssey career you will continue to grow and write about everything you're passionate about and have your voice heard. I hope that you will one day get the opportunity to grow whether it be you one day becoming the President or EIC or if you simply grow through your writing. All of the progress you make with Odyssey is exactly why I loved being President.
Continue to be loud and opinionated. Continue to write your heart out.
My time at President would be nothing without my team. If y'all weren't so passionate and dedicated, I would've given up a long time ago. I can't every single one of you enough.
While I'm hopefully onto bigger and better things, the year and a half I've been a part of Odyssey and the eight months I've served as President have been some of the most fulfilling. However, while my Presidency is ending, that doesn't mean that I will be completely gone. I will continue to support all of your articles and will, of course, read them no matter where I am. I hope the friendships I have gained will continue to flourish and grow.
I know the team is in good hands with the next President and I wish her luck. The job can be tough and frustrating sometimes. It has its little annoyances, but it is so, so, worth it. I wish you luck.
And to Kiahna, thank you for being such a wonderful EIC and a pleasure to work with. I know you will continue to do great things for the community and thank you for being the amazing person you are.
As my last Odyssey article, I wanted to dedicate it to the people who made my experience with Odyssey amazing in the first place. Thank you to Mikayla (a former President) for believing in me and for giving me the opportunity to be a creator. And, thank you team for your wonderful efforts for this team. You all made my short time as President worth it and I am honestly sad to leave. However, I also feel happy, knowing that I was able to support such a wonderful and cohesive team.
Before I beginning crying over my keyboard, I must end this article. Considering my journey with Odyssey and the name of the platform itself, I think it is only appropriate to end with a quote from Homer's "Odyssey,"
"There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep."
Love,
Alisan
