My first submission to Teen Ink was during freshman year, almost six years ago. My style was rough and unoriginal, my voice was unclear and needed polishing, but it was a start. The only reason I found TeenInk.com in the first place was because my creative writing teacher forced us to submit our work somewhere; Teen Ink was that somewhere for me. If I could thank that teacher for one thing, it would be directing me to this magazine.

My fourth semester of college has been hectic; school, work, and friends have occupied the majority of my time, and I don’t get to write as much as I used to (well, not creatively, at least). I continue to write when I can, and even though my more recent work is likely too adult for the magazine, I wouldn’t say that I have outgrown Teen Ink. The only reason that this is my last submission is because I will no longer be a teenager in less than a week.

To say that I’m disappointed to go would be an understatement. If there’s one outlet that has bolstered my confidence, it’s Teen Ink. Receiving Editor’s Choice awards and being published in the print magazine was incredibly uplifting and helped me believe that my writing is good enough. I wrote in an article on my blog that being published by Teen Ink is the ultimate congratulations I could receive. So, first and foremost, this is a thank you letter to the editors and everyone else working behind the scenes to maintain TeenInk.com and the magazine.

Honestly, though, perhaps my favorite part about Teen Ink is the comments from readers. I enjoy interacting with my “fans” and getting positive feedback from people who aren’t socially obligated to say that they like my work. Every like, every rating, every comment, every response makes me smile. I love receiving those notices in my e-mail.

Teen Ink was, is, and hopefully will remain a long-lived creative channel that gives young people the chance to show their talents to the world. I didn’t realize how important that was until last year. Teen Ink gives so many gifted artists a voice in a way that I haven’t seen anywhere else. It has been an important outlet for my creative writing career, which I hope will be long and fruitful, but it goes beyond just me – to future creative teenagers who will also get their start through Teen Ink. As much as I want to thank Teen Ink for giving writers a chance, I want to thank the authors for being willing to share. Keep writing.

I’d also like to thank the Teen Ink artists. A lot of the focus is on the writers – I know I didn’t really think much about it when I picked an image for my submissions – so I would like to give a special thank you to the people who produce those images.

I remember thinking in creative writing class that I had a long time before I would no longer be a teenager. Heck, I remember thinking last year that I had a long time. I was wrong. Time flew by, and I am glad for the opportunities I did take advantage of. A piece of advice I would give my younger self would be to utilize Teen Ink more. If you’re serious about writing, even if you’re not sure that it’s what you want to pursue long-term, it can’t hurt to give yourself a start here.

Anyway, I think I’m getting long-winded. Looking back at what I’ve written, I see a little “graduation speech” in it. I hate graduation speeches, and I gave one. So – thanks, Teen Ink and the members of the website. It’s been a good run, but it’s time to say good-bye.