Welcome back! In case you missed last week's article, I've decided to do a "mini-series" that gives advice on how to say goodbye to things, and how that has affected my personal life. This is the second and final part, and, if you remember, it's about how saying goodbye is affecting my personal life right now.

It's my third year in college, and I'm so thankful for all the opportunities that I have been blessed with. I've made many friends, some soul sisters, I have had my share of college drama, and have learned so much about my content area and more importantly myself. I've been involved with many organizations, and one of my favorites has been the Odyssey.

I have been with the Odyssey since July 2016, and I wrote my first article on the Olympics because they had just started. I was so proud of my first article, and I remember telling my mom that I was published online for the first time in my life.

I also remember the first time one of my articles went over my typical amount of page views. And by a lot: 900+ page views a lot (at least for me). I was so proud of that article, and the passion for writing articles grew more and more.

Shortly after that, I wrote another bomb article that hit 1600+ page views, and I remember crying and celebrating that over 1000 people read what I had to say. It still amazes me to this day that I have a platform where I can say what I feel like needs to be said to this world. I'm thankful that I have been given the opportunity to write articles that can relate to other people.

October came around, and I interviewed and got promoted to being a Contributing Editor alongside 2 other CE's. I was so excited to get involved with something that I love more than just writing one article a week. I got to see other people's stories and platforms before anyone else did, and I felt so honored that I was able to do so.

Then December happened, and my Editor in Chief asked me to take her place while she went to study abroad. I immediately agreed because it was another way to be more involved with the company that I love so much. So just like that, I was interim Editor in Chief.

Needless to say, I was worried. My EIC during my writing days was super great at her job, and I knew she was big shoes to fill. I could never be half the Editor in Chief that she was. During my time as Editor in Chief, I always turn to her for advice, have venting sessions with her from half way across the world, and, most importantly, gained an amazing friend in the process. I would go insane without her throughout all of this.

Those other 2 CE's I mentioned earlier. Yeah, they're the best. We all got so close, divided up the editing evenly, and always get the job done. When it came to planning meetings, tough decisions, and editing crises, I know I could always turn to them and they would support and help me out unconditionally.

A couple months ago, my EIC friend reached out to me, and she decided to resign from the Odyssey completely. Understanding where she was coming from, of course, I supported her decision. But that meant one thing: that I was permanent Editor in Chief. That was the scariest thing for me, but my EIC helped me through that transition as well. I still go to her for advice to this day, and I am forever appreciative of her dealing with my craziness.

You're probably thinking, how does this relate with having to say goodbye to something? If you haven't already guessed it, I'm writing this article because I am saying goodbye to my time with the Odyssey. I've resigned as Editor in Chief, and this is the last article I am writing.

I'm going back to the same point as last week, but I don't regret my decision. While I will miss my time here in its entirety, I have so much to be thankful for. I have established a platform, found my voice an let it be heard, made many new friends all around the country and at HQ in New York, and have found some things about myself that I wouldn't have found otherwise. I have learned a lot while doing it.

So, how do you say goodbye to things? Some people say it's a see you later type thing. Others say go forward and never look back. I believe in them both. Just because you have to say goodbye to something doesn't mean you have to leave it in the dust forever. There are many memories in life that we should wish to never forget. While this is all important, never regret a decision to leave something because it's in the past. You can't change it and you have a brighter future ahead of you.

I'm so thankful for my adventures with the Odyssey, and I wish them the best as they continue on in their journey. I'm looking forward to reading future articles from my current creators, seeing how my team as well as Odyssey grows, and how this opportunity benefits my future too.

When saying goodbye to something, smile wide, maybe cry a little, and go out with a bang.

Thank you to Odyssey for the memories, and goodbye.

Much love,

BG