Lots of “lasts” are happening right now with graduation a mere 20 days away. I’ve been contemplating what I should write about for my last Odyssey article, and reflecting on everything else I wrote for the last three and half years. I figure since I’m already reflecting, I should use my last article just to talk about my experience with Odyssey throughout college.

I joined the Odyssey staff in the spring of my freshman year, in 2015. I had just joined a sorority, and I wanted to continue getting more involved on campus. I wrote my first article, “7 Things You Need To Do Before Spring Break”, in February, the week before I ventured off to my first college spring break. Very original, I know.

I became a contributing editor, and before I knew it, I was editor-in-chief!

To date, I have written 165 articles for Odyssey, and made two videos. Going through all of them brings up a lot of nostalgia because I remember what was going on in my life around the time I wrote each of them. They reflect three and a half years of my college experience; the highs and the lows.

There have been articles that have touched many people, such as the one about my dog passing away (she was very popular among our friends), and the shooting at my high school.

There have been articles about politically charged issues and current events, about silly trending topics, about my college, about places I visited, and about my emotions as they surfaced through the years.

There have been articles that sparked a laugh, some that caused controversy, some that were more serious, and some that just served to make people feel good.

Anytime I had a thought or a whim, or a feeling I could write it down, and share it with people who might have felt the same at some point in their life. Odyssey served as not only an outlet for all of my musings, but a platform to share them, to use my voice, and to hopefully make a difference.

Now, there have been times when I mis-stepped, and articles I’m not as proud of, but overall Odyssey has been a part of my growth process, and writing has been extremely therapeutic for me.

I stand by everything that I write, and I’m really happy to have been given the opportunity three and a half years ago to join this organization. As I close this chapter of my life, I can walk away knowing that writing is my passion, and I can’t wait to write about everything moving forward in this crazy thing we call life.

To see all of my musings from my college experience, check out my creator’s page on Odyssey!