Anybody that has ever been part of an Odyssey community knows just how important an Odyssey EIC is. In the case of our Odyssey group, our EIC was the founder of our community. She built our team from the ground up and she brought us all together. Now, we’re a powerful team. We are small, but we are mighty, and it’s all because of our leader that has brought us together and made us a great team. Here are just a few reasons why I’m thankful for our EIC.

1. She is always there for us.

Whether we’re having trouble coming up with an idea for our articles or we’re having life issues, our Odyssey EIC is there for us constantly helping us out and putting us first.

2. She teaches us about dedication.

No matter how busy her life gets, she never throws in the towel nor abandons ship. She seems to always have something going on between school, work, her personal life and Odyssey, but she remembers just how important she is to our team. She’s our leader and knows just how much we rely on her.

3. She is so patient with all of us.

The Lord knows that our EIC deals with so much. She handles all of the messages concerning issues with article submission, when articles will go live and any other questions that creators have throughout the week with grace and dignity.

4. She has given us the opportunity to be part of something greater.

Without our EIC, some of our creators probably would have never met nor interacted with each other on campus. There are quite a few students at our university and it’s easy to just ignore the people that you haven’t been formally introduced to. Through Odyssey, though, I have met and been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the most creative and beautiful people on campus. Because Nicole decided to create our team on campus, we have all had the opportunity to meet each other, get to know each other, and be part of something greater.

There’s something so wonderful about seeing all of the articles shared each week via social media that was written by our creators. To see what really interests people my age and to read work that people have put their heart into is absolutely wonderful.

Before I joined our Odyssey team, I never really shared my writing with the world, but Odyssey gave me the confidence to share it, and people actually liked it – some of them even wanted to know what I had to say. None of this would have been possible had it not been for Nicole’s determination and perseverance to create such a strong, successful team.

Thank you, Nicole, for being our leader. Thank you for being the mom of our Odyssey family and for always supporting us. Thank you for creating such a wonderful team and family. Thank you for being you and for being such a wonderful role model for all of us. Most of all, thank you for loving us. We are all so grateful for you!