After 99 articles, you would think this one would come easy – it does not. 

I wanted this goodbye to be worthy of my time writing for “The Orbit,” but how can I even try? 

Like I have said in past articles, I am trying to look at this as the beginning, not the end. 

I have known that I wanted to be a journalist since I was 13, “The Orbit ” was not what sparked my interest in journalism. Thankfully, actually learning about journalism did not deter me from the profession, it only made my passion grow.

I have had a lot of people tell me that journalism is a hard profession to enter and it is full of crooked people trying to make a buck, but I counter with this, I do not really care and I would definitely pick a different job if I wanted to make it rich. Also, Mrs. Trier would send me to an early grave if I was unethical. 

I have written for “The Orbit” because I want to tell people’s stories. The joy I get from unearthing a story that has not been told before, from uplifting voices that have not been heard, is unmatched. 

I joined “The Orbit” during its first real year of publication, and while I have never yet been a part of a true news team, I will never forget my first year of writing and learning from my fellow editors, Sophie Hoffmeier and Alexis Dorsett, and spending this semester with Zoe Marquez. I wrote my first article as a journalism production student on Oct. 6, 2020, and while I have learned a lot since then (down with the oxford comma) – I have never once doubted my intended profession. 

From bad mashed potatoes to gender biases in STEM, I have strived to tell the stories of North Polk High School and beyond. I look forward to seeing how the new generation of writers use their voices to uplift the school, and hopefully, in the future, there are more than two writers. 

I would be nothing if it were not for Mrs. Trier and Mrs. Stubbs, they have truly molded me into the writer that I am, and I intend to continue what I have learned from them at The University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where I will be majoring in journalism. 

I do not look at this 100th and last article as an end, but the foundation for my future in writing. You may not see me writing for “The New York Times”, but I will continue to write what needs to be said to the best of my ability.  

Thank you for reading my articles and giving me the space to grow. 

This is me signing off (for now). 

Olivia Moody