Many people view January 1 as a chance for a fresh start. From academic focus to fitness and leadership, resolutions reflect students’ hopes of accomplishment in the months ahead. These hopes and ambitions are something that Northside students recognize; they reflect their future selves. Senior Michael Carlson talks about this optimism that comes with the new year, saying, “At the start of January, everyone is motivated and wants to change something about themselves.”
With the new year underway, Northside students juggle their personal goals with the reality of school responsibilities. Junior Alejandro Puebla spoke this year about his leadership aspirations, saying he loves “being able to share [his] ideas with the world.” Specifically, he mentioned plans for the Northside Cares Club to begin “visiting cats more often since [he] knows it’s a club favorite.”
Freshman Joel Coronel said he wants to “hit the gym” to try and “hit 225 pounds for bench.”
Senior Christian Reardon wants to focus on academics and finance, setting a goal to save more money and stay on top of assignments before the semester picks up.
However, many students note that more than motivation is needed for some resolutions. Junior Alejandro Puebla notes that “motivation only takes you so far” and that he needs discipline to succeed. He admits that while he hits the gym at 5 a.m., he would “rather sleep, but it’s all mental.”
Senior Shahir Shah adds that “procrastinating less would probably be a good start” before the workload increases as the school year ramps up
However, some Northside students did not end up making resolutions at all. Senior Michael Carlson says he didn’t make an official resolution because “senior year is already stressful enough” and he doesn’t want the pressure. Similarly, Senior Shahir Shah says that “[resolutions] kind of feel like extra stress” and that motivation drops once the semester starts. Many seniors indicated that graduating is the only real goal right now.
Though many people at Northside explained that they did not make resolutions, some offered advice and hope for the future. Junior Alejandro Puebla challenged students to “go get that goal done” and stop procrastinating.
