Last weekend, I graduated college. I still can't believe that's a sentence I can say. I graduated college. It wasn't easy for me to get here. I had many ups and downs throughout my three and a half years on this campus. I had some of the greatest experiences of my life and met some amazing people, but I also had some of my lowest lows that I still don't think I'm ready to talk about in full. There was a time that dropping out legitmatiely seemed like the best option for me. Yet, here I am! I'm finished, and I have a degree.

Odyssey was a great outlet for me throughout my college years. I was able to document those highs and show my growth through the lows. At one point in time, I stepped away, but one day I realized I needed to come back. Writing was the tool I needed to get through the challenges I faced throughout the years, and there was no sense in depriving myself of the sense of catharsis I got through writing. Though my life today is very different from what many of the articles I've written reflect, I'm proud of what I've brought to this platform and how I documented my time at the University of Illinois. I'm also grateful for the people I've met and worked with through this platform, both on campus and across the nation. I've formed friendships I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to build, and for that I will be forever thankful.

With my graduation, it is time for me to close the book on my time with Odyssey. Life is leading me in a different direction, and I think I'm ready to follow. I don't think I will be giving up writing forever. I mean, my major was English, and writing is what I really love to do. However, I don't think Odyssey is the writing space that fits into the next chapter of my life. So I'm stepping away and closing the door on this platform that gave me what I needed most during college: a space to be and find me.