2020 was a rough one, between a global pandemic, natural disasters, political uncertainty, social justice, and more. Most people are saying good riddance 2020, but there was still a lot to be grateful for, and even more to look forward to in 2021. 

First of all, we made it through! Although much of this year was mushed together and feels like a total blur, we still did it. That is something to be proud of. 

But more importantly, because we made it through the year, we can start to plan for 2021. I’ve never been good at keeping New Year’s resolutions. Work on yourself, go to the gym, learn a new hobby, none of it really stuck. Instead, I make plans based on my experiences in 2020. Here are a few things from this past year that I’m basing these new plans on.

One thing I enjoyed 

In 2020 I decided to dig deeper into photography. I’ve had a passion for photography since high school and it’s one of my favorite hobbies. Since coming to college, I hadn’t really done a whole lot with my camera, and I desperately missed photographing games or even casual photoshoots with my friends. 

I made the effort to include photography more into my life and even made the investment to upgrade my camera. I covered URI women’s basketball in February, and I even did multiple graduation photoshoots for high school seniors. 

Despite the lockdowns and cancelation of most events, there was still lots of beauty to photograph. It’s one of the things I enjoyed most and something I’m going to continue growing throughout 2021. 

One thing I didn’t like 

Something I really struggled with this year was being alone. As an extrovert, I’ve always enjoyed seeing people and hanging out with my friends. Going into 2020, I wanted to go out more, travel, and make more friends, however, with the ongoing pandemic I spent a lot more time by myself. 

It was hard to be apart from everyone but it also gave me some much-needed perspective. It made me appreciate my friendships and improve my communication skills. Rather than goofing around in their dorm, I would send them fun Snapchat memories, TikToks that made me think of them, and update them on life whenever I could. 

While I didn’t always enjoy it, being alone gave me the opportunity to reflect on myself and my relationships in a way I haven’t ever done before. 

One new thing I tried 

This past year I really stretched my boundaries. I’m not one to try new things, and I’m one of the pickiest eaters you’ll ever meet. One thing I’m especially particular about is my hair. Growing up I always had blonde hair. As I got older it turned into more of a dirty blonde and I began highlighting it to keep up the blonde hair. 

I decided to make a minor change to my hair. Instead of going lighter, I attempted to do only a few shades darker. I ended up dying my hair a dark brunette color, which was definitely a much bigger change than I intended.

I didn’t personally like being brunette, but taking that risk was not something I would have ever done before. I’ve since dyed my hair to the light brown color I originally intended, and I’m even considering cutting it sometime in the future. 

One thing I’m proud of 

There are quite a few achievements that I’m proud of this year. I created and successfully raised over 1,200 dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation through my sorority. I was elected President of URI’s chapter of PRSSA. I added a third major in Sports Media and began pursuing jobs in sports. I moved off-campus and am living on my own for the first time. I maintained straight A’s and made Dean’s List both semesters. Lastly, I was nominated for a Rainville Student Leadership Award. 

Out of all those things, what matters most to me is what all these accomplishments mean. Some of these were ambitious and hard to accomplish. I had to really go out of my comfort zone to achieve these and I’m proud of that.  

One thing I want to change 

2020 was stressful. I’ve always dealt with anxiety, but this year I was met with unprecedented stress. I was very involved on campus with two executive board positions in clubs, a chair position in my sorority, and a job as a RAM for housing and residential life. 

At first, I was so grateful for the three-week extended spring break. I was overwhelmed trying to balance school and life. Then online classes picked up again, and only intensified in the fall. I found myself isolated again in a different way. It became hard to make time for people, and I experienced some intense procrastination and burn out this year. 

While this year challenged me, it also gave me the opportunity to reflect on myself in a much deeper way than I had ever done before. I spent far too much time this year stressed about what comes next, so for 2021 I’m going to try to take a step back and relax every once in a while. 

 

Hi! I’m Siobhan, a junior Public Relations, Journalism, and Sports Media major from Central Massachusetts. I am so excited to be working with Campus Rec and Club Sports this year as a Sports Writer and Public Relations Assistant. I have always loved all things sports, and I can’t wait to write about all of the amazing club teams here at URI. Another passion of mine is photography, I love capturing portraits, sports, and events. In my free time, I enjoy being with my friends and family, especially my two dogs.