Onto the Next Chapter: Thank You, Odyssey

I've probably mentioned this in a previous article of mine, but I hate goodbyes. Whether they are with relationships, places, characters or other ventures, I hate the thought of leaving something enjoyable behind... especially if it's done a lot for me personally.

I discovered Odyssey about two years ago when a classmate started posting her own articles on Instagram. After being curious about the platform (as well as searching frantically for easy resume builders as a freshman), I realized that I always wanted to explore writing in a relaxed setting. Little did I know that I would find writing articles about anything I wanted every week so liberating.

Being able to write recreationally allowed me to become a better writer, too. When it came to essays and term papers for class, I was able to whip out my pen (or laptop, in a more realistic sense) with more ease than usual. I have made some of my most proudest creations on this platform, and how cool is it that they get to live on and be seen by others who might be looking for inspiration or a voice similar to their own? Odyssey gave me a platform to speak about what was important to me, and I think that is something super prevalent and wonderful in this day in age.

After two years of writing, creating and sharing, two months being Secretary/PR then President of the Odyssey Executive Board for Montclair State University's community, and then merging communities to become the Millennials of New Jersey; all of these experiences have made me become a better writer, leader, communicator and risk taker. I'm no longer afraid of putting paper to pen to create something that is entirely my own, and then share it with the outside world.

And that leads me to why I chose to leave here in the first place (a fact that I do not want to dwell on). One of the things I've been thinking of trying recently is creative writing rather than writing articles; I love stories, after all, so why not invest in making them at this point in time? This ambition, along with my new internship and planning for traveling this summer, has all pointed to signs saying that this may be the perfect time to depart. Even Tony Stark once said, "Part of the journey is the end."

As much as I have absolutely loved and been thankful for this outlet– that got me through my first two and rough years of college, my first heartache and everything in between– I do believe it's also come to a point where I have outgrown it. I say this in the best way possible: it got me through the hard times, and now I am going to carry it and what I learned into everything I do next.

So if you're reading this and you have been torn between saying goodbye to something you've loved and sticking with it but that's exactly what it has turned into (something of the past), you're dying to try something new but you're scared of change or you just find yourself not having the time to dedicate yourself to that something, then I want you to know that all of those feelings are completely normal. Just don't be afraid to take that scary leap, whatever that may look like– because that's what's gotten me here, right where I'm supposed to be, in the first place.