I remember emailing the present EIC of Rider University's Odyssey saying that I would be VERY interested in writing for the platform. She asked me some questions, as expected, and ultimately said I was good to go when I started the semester. It was such an awesome day - I was involved in my first ever college extracurricular!

I remember my first article, I was so hyped to wrote about it. If you'd like to read it, you may click on the picture below.

My first articleJamie Silfen

I remember the feeling of satisfaction I had when I saw it was first published. I remember posting EVERYWHERE for people to check out my new, amazing article. I'm talking Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram - you name it.

I remember the day I got too busy to hype up my other articles because of other obligations taking up my time.

I remember the feedback I would receive from friends, family, and even high school teachers who I've always looked up to, saying this was awesome and that I should never stop.

Sorry to disappoint, but ultimately, it's time I move on.

I thought about this for a while, and I realized that next semester I'll be taking my first 300 level psych course. I'll be continuing my role as president for two clubs, and hopefully, I will embark on other journeys that will further me on the Psych/ Social Work path. And unfortunately, that doesn't include writing for Odyssey.

As I've written about in past articles, I've taken on a lot this past semester. Meeting weekly deadlines, making a point to edit, re-edit, and publish articles, as well as starting over from scratch when I forget to save a whole article just don't fit into my college life anymore.

Like usual, I never take things like this lightly. I thoroughly enjoyed the year (and a few months) that I've been a part of the Odyssey team here at Rider. I've gotten to meet some cool people and write about whatever topic I wanted. It's been quite the ride as a writer, but, as cliche as this sounds, I've reached my destination.

I've learned a lot as a writer. I've learned to take criticism with a grain of salt, I've learned to open my horizons and not only write about things that specific appeal to me, and I've learned that it's okay to let go of somethings in order to grow in other aspects.

So with that, I am retiring in my spot on the team. I'd like to thank everyone for their support throughout the months. I will never forget my time here.

Goodbye friends, thanks for reading!

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