Dear Odyssey,

Thank you so much for this opportunity. I've learned so much this last year and a half.

A huge thank you goes to my OG ME Angelina Matarozzi for reaching out to me that one night over Facebook and asking me if I'd be interested in joining this company for their new group at my school. At the time, I'd only seen/read a few articles from the site, but I never knew that I could be one of the people who could actually write for it! Thank you Ang, for helping me get started and for all the guidance you gave me. I hope your new position at Odyssey HQ is treating you well!

Thank you to my amazing staff, both past and present. You all have done tremendous work and I couldn't be happier working with you all. Seriously, you all are truly rockstars. Oh, and of course shoutouts have to go to my original co-editors, Lauren and Lilly -- you two are superb human beings and I wish you nothing but the best. And thank you to Meagan for stepping in for us for that while there, a huge help!

This has been an amazing journey and I couldn't even believe it would happen if you had talked to me a couple years ago. Especially taking on this leadership role: those that know me know that I'm on the quieter side, but stepping up into this new position has taught me so much. I've learned to compromise, to be firm but fair, and to actually stand up for what I believe in. I've also learned that my prior journalism skills have served me well, but also that Odyssey is all about having creative freedom and power to say what you want. I think that's really cool, especially with the social media aspect involved.

Even though at times it was stressful (i.e: that GroupMe sometimes though!) I honestly wouldn't trade any second of this experience. I've gotten to meet some great people, learn some networking skills, and take with me some amazing pieces for my future portfolio. What more could I ask for?

So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. To Odyssey and everyone I've met through there or because of it, thank you to you all. It's been a wonderful journey. Can't wait to see what happens next for all of us.

Sincerely,

Kari Highman