Dear Readers,

I write this article with a heavy heart, as it is the last article I will be writing for Odyssey. I have to admit I am getting a tad emotional sitting in an ugly Starbucks chair, staring at my Laptop. I might as well start from the beginning because it's less painful than the end.

One of my best friends from home called me to catch up. It had been about three months since I started my freshmen year of college and I was excited to fill her in and hear about her time at school. After sharing wild stories and laughing for a bit, she told me she had started writing for this platform called Odyssey and that she could see me doing it and loving it as much as she did. I have always loved to write. I'd been journaling, writing short stories, and writing music for as long as I could remember and started to seriously consider. After some convincing, I finally agreed to reach out to my school's team and see if they would be interested in having me join and start creating.

I was sitting on my dorm bed in Christmas pajamas (it was November and I was a little excited for Santa to say the least) when I got a call for a phone interview on why I wanted to join. After explaining my love for the written word and discussing logistics, I was officially a part of the Odyssey team! From there I wrote an article a week and I developed a style of my own and learned to love getting a reaction and hearing people talk about what I was writing. I truly loved coming up with topics and things to talk about and would constantly read my drafts to my roommate/best friend. She must have heard the same article ten times before it was published; thank you, C, I love you for it.

With twenty-six articles under my belt, I can honestly say the Odyssey has given me more than I could have asked for. I have learned the importance of time management, communicating with a team, editing, getting creative, and of course finding great gifs. However, most importantly, I have learned what I am really passionate about and what I've ultimately grown out of. Let's be honest, Odyssey is more of a family than a platform and I am so proud that I have been a member of it. I have decided to take the skills and lessons that I've learned from Odyssey and apply them to everything I will do and create in the future. So, I leave you with these last few words…

If you're in a bar with a Lurker, leave. If you're clueless about sports and football, who cares? If you want to feel sexy on Valentine's day, call your local Dominos Pizza. When it comes to drunk foods, it's hard to make a bad choice. If you have a best friend, cherish the hell out of them. If you've lost your spirit, there's always a way to find your imagination and youth again. Lastly, laugh always, read lots, and do what you love.

Peace and blessings, readers. Thanks for a hell of a ride.