Welcome to the end. This is officially my last article for Odyssey, and it’s been quite the ride. This transition period I’m now entering has me thinking a lot about who I am now, where I’ve been in the past, and where I’m going in the future.

College, as a whole, has been an enlightening experience for me. Friends and family sent me off from the world I'd known in high school to travel 100 miles north to begin the next chapter of life. The pretense I carried out the door was a mentality to obtain knowledge, meet people, and gain necessary training for my future in computer science.

It’s astounding what an individual can become in two years at a university. I’ve made many lifelong companions, changed my major (only once, thankfully), found my passion, experienced the depths of many emotions, and discovered much about myself as a person.

Some days I’m impressed at how much I’ve accomplished in my short existence on this planet. Other days it doesn’t feel like enough.

My professional and scholastic accomplishments are important, don’t get me wrong. But this stress-filled environment practically encourages personal neglect. Summer is such an important time for students to get away from the repeated responsibilities they endure all school year. I’ve tried to use this time to take a look at myself now and where I’m going in the future.

20 years old and my life is just getting started, but sometimes I recall memories or check my LinkedIn profile or browse the last 10 years of my life all cataloged in this giant information hub called the internet and think, “Wow. I’ve accomplished more than most people in their lifetime!” That’s the narcissism talking. But so much of my life remains to be lived. I’m confident in the skills I’ve learned so far and hopeful that the future will be as kind as the past has been.

Everyone says college won’t last forever. It feels like it will right now, which is invigorating. But high school ended and so too must this mystical land of partiers, visionaries, and pioneers. I hope to make an impact in the world someday. Or be somewhere impactful and have the opportunity to record it and share it to the masses.

But for now, I think I’ll take a nap. It warms my heart to know that you are interested in my current and future endeavors. Especially through this recent trial and error period. I’m solidifying my picture/video/media style and finding the niche that will hopefully blossom into a career.

Again, I won’t be on Odyssey anymore. So, I guess this is goodbye.

Thank you all. I’ll catch you in some other corner of the interwebs!

–Dan