New Year, New Me: Students Set Their Goals for 2021

The warm buzz of the room, the crowded space, the familiar faces of friends, the booming countdown and the triumph of saying the phrase, “Happy New Year!” 

The new year is great for new things: new adventures, new memories and new beginnings. 

Many students at the school took advantage of these new beginnings to make new year’s resolutions this year. 

These resolutions vary from working on mental health, to aiming for a personal record in a sport to getting out of one’s comfort zone. 

At just about a month into the year, several students said they are making progress with their resolutions.   

Freshman Isabel Pino said her goal is to become more open-minded to new experiences, because last year, she felt she was “just repeating the same day over and over again.”   

“I did the same things, so I’m trying to get out more, hang out with my friends and [be] more open to new things and having different mindsets,” Pino said.  

Pino said she is also thinking about reverting to a vegetarian diet after stopping for a while, and she plans to work out more often. She’s said she’s been trying to go to the gym or park every day. 

“It’s mainly for my mentality, because working out is kind of like where I go to get away from everybody and just do my own thing for a little bit of the day, because we all need alone time,” she said. 

According to Psych Central, a mental health news site, it takes 66 days to firmly establish a habit. Pino is only about halfway there, but she said things are looking bright for her. 

Like Pino, freshman Kami Taylor also has set exercise-related goals. 

Taylor runs track for the school, and her goal is to beat a six minute and 20 second mile. Taylor trains by running six days a week and pushes herself to keep going. 

“It’s just something I love and want to get better at,” she said. 

Both Pino and Taylor said they think they’re on track to reach their goals, and that they’ve seen progress. Pino said she’s feeling better than last year. 

Another person on track to reaching his goal is freshman Alex Diaz. Diaz has a resolution to improve his grades. 

His reasoning behind this is to get into a good college.  

Diaz has already been working harder. Not far into the school year, and with only a few things graded, he’s already seeing improvements from last semester. 

All three of these students are confident they’re on the right track towards reaching their resolutions. 

Many things could get in the way, but as of now, they’re facing the challenges and doing their best to keep up with their resolutions.