Each new year, many people set goals they hope to achieve, but as we know, most don’t successfully accomplish them. Whether you achieved your goals, fell short, or didn’t set any at all, there’s always something valuable we can take away from the previous year to carry into the next.
I think it is safe to say that as college students, a common goal we aim to achieve is good grades, which may look a little different for each individual. I asked Will Ramirez, a senior accounting major, and Kyra Venters, a junior elementary education major, if they had set any goals for 2024 and if they were able to achieve them. Both answered similarly: setting a goal to maintain good grades according to Venters, and for Ramirez, to get all A’s, which they both accomplished.
While goals are great and can serve as a guide for the year, the journey itself is just as important. There’s a trend on TikTok where people reflect on feeling like they didn’t accomplish much in 2024, only to realize, upon looking back, that they actually experienced or achieved more than they thought. Many of these videos are humorous, but they also serve as a reminder that some of our biggest highlights aren’t meticulously planned goals set during a fleeting moment of motivation–they just happen as the year unfolds. I had not set any goals going into 2024. For me, it was just another year where whatever happens, happens. Yet, I ended up doing some really cool things I never planned for or expected, one of which was living in Pasadena, California, for two months while participating in an internship at JPL.
Each year is full of moments that can shape us–whether it’s lessons learned from challenges, unforgettable memories, or new experiences that broaden our horizons. Along with their goals, Ramirez and Venters shared the highlights and lessons that defined their year. Ramirez is an athlete on the track & cross-country team at SNU. He shares that a favorite memory of his was the 2024 season of cross country as he took on the role of a leader, allowing him to grow as a person and form relationships with his teammates. His accomplishments that season also granted him the opportunity to have a new experience with a visit to Branson, Missouri. Other highlights include accepting an accounting internship, achieving an All-Academic GAC award for cross country, setting a personal record in the 10k, and running a top 10 all-time in SNU history. Venters shares that her highlights for last year were returning to SNU and maintaining the grades she needed to stay, as well as seeing her mom walk across the stage. A valuable lesson she learned was the importance of patience and waiting on God.
As we begin 2025, I encourage you to reflect on the lessons you’ve learned, the memories made, and/or the surprises you didn’t see coming. The refreshing thing about a new year is the potential it holds for growth, discovery, and fun! Here’s to embracing all that 2025 has in store–planned or unplanned–and making it another year to remember.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash