The year 2024 is coming to an end, and I honestly can’t believe it. This year feels like it flew by, making it easy to forget just how many moments this it was filled with. With the new year approaching, this is a season of reflection and appreciating the fact that we’ve made it to this point.
As students, this is the end of our fall semester, and most of us will be transitioning into the spring semester after winter break. For us, this time of reflection may be spent focusing on academics. Some students may look back and realize that they’ve surpassed their own expectations, looking back on this year with pride and excitement. They can look forward to the new semester with the intention of repeating the cycle, coming from a place of confidence.
For others, this fall semester was a time of trial and error. College is filled with new experiences and learning how to navigate the world, which can result in a difficulty to focus on school. It can be discouraging to feel like you didn’t do as good in the semester as you hoped, but it’s never too late to learn from past mistakes.
Entering into the new year gives people a second chance. Students can begin 2025 with the ability to be better versions of themselves, learning from their old experiences to create better, new ones.
Even New Years resolutions are used to help people make promises to themselves for the benefit of their future. Some people make really big changes, and others start to lay down the foundation one brick at a time. Regardless of the choices, resolutions do offer a way to reflect on things you wish went differently and finding ways to improve them. As students, we can use this as a way to motivate us to do better in the next semester.
For a lot of people, New Years offers a chance at redemption. People use it to take advantage of new opportunities, to grow, and to do better than they did the year before. The transition into the new year can often feel like a big weight, as if the expectation each year to be a better person gets bigger and bigger. But the reality is that you can make small changes at any second.
We don’t have to wait until New Years, until Monday, or until the first of the month to make a big change in our lives. Humans are always evolving and adapting to changes, and there’s an incredible amount of strength in that. If someone isn’t proud of how they did this week, this semester, or even this year, we can use our unlimited potential to change whatever we’re unhappy with.
But regardless of the future, we should always try to find gratitude for the year that we leave behind. Some of us have lost people, and we try to remember them. Others got their dream jobs and are building their lives. This year might’ve shaped who you’ll be for the rest of your life, and this includes all the good and bad moments that occurred. It’s so important to appreciate the gift of life that we have, being able to witness the end of this year, and to appreciate the privilege of getting to appreciate the holidays.
It takes strength to make it to this point, and I’m sure we’ve all had our fair share of personal battles this year. But we’ve made it, and that’s a victory in itself. I am so proud of all of us for finishing the semester and for keeping each other strong. I hope you all enjoy your winter break and come back ready and refreshed!
