As the new year begins, many students find themselves taking a moment to reflect on the highs and lows of the past year. While watching the holiday lights flicker out and hearing the excitement for the chances of snowfall, the new year grants an opportunity to reevaluate goals and set intentions for a brighter year. 

Junior Sheena Zhao looks back on surprising discoveries about herself that influence her decisions for the new year.

 “I thought I preferred being alone, but after making new friends, I realized I actually enjoy spending time with others,” Zhao said. 

This year, joining the orchestra became one of her standout experiences. Joining the orchestra and committing to an instrument gave her a greater sense of identity and exposure to new people.

“Playing with new friends has been amazing, and I’m excited to make more memories,” Zhao said.

However, after further reflection, finding a good balance between maintaining good grades and staying true to her friends didn’t come easily for Zhao. 

 “I faced a lot of challenges with time management,” Zhao said. “But after some self-reflection, I learned that avoiding procrastination gave me more time to enjoy life.” 

This new discipline also motivated her to improve her grades and focus on her work ethic. Looking ahead, Zhao hopes to make more time for her hobby—playing the piano. 

“It helps me relax and find calm outside of school,” Zhao explained

Zhao’s reflections show a commitment to change and continuing her personal growth.

Meanwhile, freshman Nam Nguyen looks back from the previous year realizing that he doesn’t need to spend all of his time playing games first. 

“I procrastinate but then I realize that I can actually just do my work and focus on playing games later.” Nguyen said. 

Being a freshman and adapting to the large amounts of schoolwork wasn’t easy for Nguyen. He struggles with managing his workload while also trying to find a balance between school work, social life, and personal time. 

“There’s a lot of work and they throw a lot of work at you,” Nguyen said. “But after some self-reflection, I learned that avoiding procrastination gave me more time to enjoy life.” 

This new discipline allowed him for better time management, and a better balance between life and school. By lessening his procrastination as prioritized from the previous year, he allowed himself even more time for games while feeling accomplished and satisfied with his school work. Looking ahead, Nguyen hopes to make more time for his hobby—art. 

“I want to improve my skills and have set reminders for my goals. I have art one right now and I think it’s really fun. I think art is one of those electives where you kind of just want to do it. It isn’t like being forced onto you, you do it because you like it,” Nguyen said. 

Setting aside his current passions, Nguyen … his goals.

“My current goal is trying to get all A’s if possible and probably pass my tests,” Nguyen said.

To him, as a freshman, he keeps his future after high school in mind when making his goals. Nguyen’s reflections show a commitment to change and continuing his personal growth.

Like Zhao, many students are already thinking ahead to their resolutions for the new year, using their experiences from 2024 to set new goals. Junior Tram Nguyen reflected on the changes she wished she’d made earlier in the year. 

“I want to stop procrastinating and focus more on my self-growth. I realized that my time is limited, so instead of postponing my daily tasks, I should just stand up and finish it.” Nguyen said. “Also, self-growth is a fundamental basis to me and I feel many positive results from working on myself.”

For her, that means staying positive, avoiding negativity, and valuing quality friendships over quantity. 

“From last year, I realize that deep connection is significant to me, instead of having more friends. I prefer having friends that are genuine,” Nguyen said. 

Nguyen’s resolutions for the beginning of 2024 focused on maintaining her grades and avoiding burnout.

 “I made sure to drink more water, get enough sleep, and stay on top of schoolwork,” Nguyen said. “I feel that doing so opens more opportunities for higher education while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”

For 2025, she’s tripling down on similar goals while also focusing on making time for friends and family. Although sticking to resolutions isn’t always easy, Nguyen believes it’s crucial for success. 

“It’s important because it helps me stay on track and be productive,” Nguyen said. 

By balancing her time better, she hopes to enjoy both her social life and academic responsibilities. 

While Nguyen focuses on self-growth, Junior Oluwaseni Ola-Keji has set mental health as his priority. 

“I wish I would have just stopped and taken a breather, just for a moment, to think about what I’m actually doing to myself,” Ola-Keji said. “Am I helping myself, or am I hurting myself?”

Reflecting on 2024, Ola-Keji acknowledged struggling to maintain balance. 

“For most of this year, I have been angry—angry about the decisions I’ve made over the past 16 years,” Ola-Keji said. “Every day, it’s like going in circles, which is not really helpful.”

Despite the challenges, he accomplished some goals, like diversifying his fast-food experiences. But his larger resolutions, like reviving his YouTube series, fell off. 

“I started writing a script for six months, but I stopped when I was overwhelmed by chaos and mental health issues.”

This year, Ola-Keji is determined to get back on track.

 “I’m bringing back my show and starting fresh,” he declared. “I want to sing more from the heart, try new foods like crème brûlée, and continue working on my faith.”

 Despite the challenges and setbacks, he’s optimistic about staying consistent. 

“Every day is a new day with challenges, but I want to be better than I was before,” he said. “At the end of the day, saving myself is something only I can do.” 

Sophomore Iris Vasquez, also shared her reflections on the year, expressing her desire for self-improvement.

“I think I could’ve focused more on self-improvement,” Vasquez said. “It took me a while to see that if you’re not paying attention to yourself and the people around you, you’re not really improving

 I learned that growth doesn’t happen if you’re not intentional about it.”

For Vasquez, 2024 was a year of realizing the importance of self-love and appreciation. 

“I learned that I needed to stop being so hard on myself,” Vasquez said. “I used to think I wasn’t doing enough, but I realized I just needed to slow down and be more patient with myself.”

It was hard for her to understand but it was her mindset that got her into a state of being stable.

“It wasn’t about me just constantly needing to do something, I just needed to be great at doing what I do.”

In 2025, Vasquez’s resolutions center on personal growth and being present in the moment.

“I want to work on my self-esteem and focus on my personal growth,” Vasquez said. “I’m trying to spend more time on things that matter—like my family, taking a walk, and just being present at the moment.”

However, she acknowledged the difficulty of staying consistent through the demands of school. 

“It’s hard to stay consistent when you’re balancing school, work, and everything else,” Vasquez said. “It’s tiring, and sometimes people just don’t have the energy to do it all.”

Despite these challenges, Vasquez believes resolutions provide direction and purpose.

“I think it helps you focus on your priorities,” Vasquez said. “Resolutions push you to stay on track and remind you of who you want to become.”

As students like Nguyen, Ola-Keji, and Vasquez reflect on 2024, their goals for the coming year show the diversity of their challenges and their determination to overcome them. From improving mental health to improving relationships and creative pursuits, their resolutions are proof to personal growth and resilience.