I was a senior in high school when I stumbled across Odyssey during one of my classes and decided to apply to an incredible community: Millennials of New Jersey. I had never been published online prior to joining Odyssey, but I was ready for everything I would gain from this experience the moment I was accepted as a writer. This was my first step in becoming an aspiring journalist.

Soon after I was accepted, I published my first article titled "How To Have The Best Concert Experience." From there, I began expanding my horizons and writing about all sorts of topics. I wrote about music, motivation, film, comedy and so much more. This instantly became an outlet for my creativity and I was hooked. I looked forward to writing an article every week (sometimes even two) and learned about how to capture an audience along the way.

College began and my dedication towards the work I was producing for Odyssey continued. I became the social media manager for MONJ and learned about the promotional side of writing and publishing as well. Every leadership experience was an opportunity to learn not only about writing, but about myself. My skills in communication and management continued to flourish.

After I had been on the team for a little over a year, I became the Editor-in-chief. This is a position and opportunity I will forever be grateful for. I learned about editing and also had the opportunity to act as a mentor for some writers. I developed personal connections with several people through this platform over the past few years and I will cherish every memory and accomplishment I made with everyone as I continue my career as a journalist.

It has been a true honor to be a part of this team and write/edit for Odyssey in general. I will definitely miss thinking about what to write about each week and reading the dozens of articles sent to me every Wednesday. Odyssey opened my eyes to the world of Journalism outside of school senior year and officially began my career as both a writer and editor. It gave me the opportunity to conduct interviews, research and grow as a leader, writer, editor and person in general.

For that and so much more, I want to say thank you to Odyssey.