To the sophomore advisors of Turman Hall,

This, as with many of my random musings on the wide world of the Odyssey platform, is simply a thank you.

It is a thank you for endless hours of work, stress, patience, personal struggles, time, and so much more that each of you has devoted to a cause well worth the wait. It is a thank you for all the moments you make me proud to be an SA as you put yourselves second and those around you first in an effort to best serve the amazing community in which we live. It is a thank you for the importance which you give handling the burdens that our residents bear so that they can explore their hopes for being in college and the world beyond to the fullest.

It is a thank you for the ways you all, despite your busy schedules, separate lives, and never-ending to do lists, continue to serve me as I work to fill this role.

I was honestly terrified to step into this position. I truly was. That tends to be how I react to the unknown - short-term terror followed by an evaluation of life as it stands and a generally pervasive sense of apprehension. I spent my summer agonizing over the details of how I would attempt to lead, how I would try to follow, how I would be a resource to my residents, how they would be once we finally met. I viewed the position as being solely on my shoulders. I did not know who I was stepping with into the fray, so I chose to simply ignore the external factors and stress myself out deeply within. If I failed, that would be it. One round, no second chances, no room for error.

And then I met each of you.

We are all remarkably different, with our own sets of interests and our own unique identities. It may be that our interests don't always intersect. But that didn't stop any of you. You went out of your ways to make me feel welcome, to make me feel as though I am a part of this experience. You wanted to talk to me, which was honestly a shocker considering me, and you were never shy about staff bonding and all of us getting the chance to learn more about each other so we could support each other to the fullest. You were the first to compliment me, the first to encourage me, the first to check in on me, the first to be there for me, the second I stepped back onto campus at the end of August. You became my first line of defense, the reason I got so energized at the thought of getting to be on the job, my support system in what I know would and will be upcoming times of trial. You made me feel like I was the best suited I could possibly be for this position, not because of a single thing I had done but because of the people I'd get to work with.

Thank you for never thinking that the ideas and plans I was so excited about were stupid. Thank you for caring so much about the things that mean so much to me. Thank you for setting the bar so high for what a student advisor should be. Thank you for leading by example and helping me to understand what having this job is all about.

Thank you to each and every one of you for being you. Sounds sappy? It is. I just have to say it because it's just so true.

Let's go take on the world this next year,

Anna