As the year begins to wrap itself up, I cannot help but to reflect on the experiences that 2015 has given me. Within this past year, I have graduated high school, gone to college, made amazing friends, and lost some, too. The list of changes is unquantifiable. Through it all, I believe that 2015 has had a lot to teach me. Below is a list of quotes that both end and sum up 2015 and the lessons that it will forever hold:

1. "You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do."
- Carl Gustav Jung

Going to a Christian school, this one has really resonated with me. I can say that I am a Christian all day long, but at the end of the day it's not that I say I am a Christian. It's the way I do life that shows others who I am.

2. "Always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive."
- Sonny Franco

As a college student, it's easy to become so wrapped up in college demands and family demands that I forget to do what I like. Feeling like you're living a meaningful life includes doing something you find meaningful.

3. "Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours."
- C. S. Lewis

It can become easy to only look at yourself. Being deemed the most ego-centric generation, it's great to be reminded of what it means to give.

4. "Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties."
- Helen Keller

My grandfather says it as " You can be happy if you have a mind to it." This is so true - make up your mind to be happy and your spirit won't be knocked down.

5. "Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

- Francis of Assisi

In a time where social justice is the new accessory to every millennial, reminding yourself of what it takes to do the impossible is so important.

6. "We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."
- Ronald Reagan

Your life's major achievement may not be to end cancer - it may just be to change someone's perspective. 100 people or 5 people, it's still a person your helping.

7. "Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness."
- Katherine Henson

If you're like me, you're heartbroken for people all over the world for so many reasons. A soft heart may be seen as weak by some, but in a world of apathy, it is beautiful.

8. "Don't cry over the past, it's gone. Don't stress about the future, it hasn't arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful."
- Unknown

Hey, you... Yeah, you... C's get Degrees, so stop beating yourself up!

9. "Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be."
- Sonia Ricotta

It's time to realize that this year held permanent things and temporary things... accept the permanent and realize the temporary is just that.

10. "Run, explore and be free. Seek clarity, trust your instincts and don’t lose sight of your ambitions. Live a blessed life worth reciting."

- Unknown

Seek adventure and understanding, but also let this upcoming year be something that you want to look back on with pride.

11. “Don't chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing and work hard. The right people - the ones who really belong in your life - will come to your side. And stay.”
- Will Smith

Don't chase people... Don't chase people... Let that sink in. Stop waiting for that boy to text you back - it's time to let this new year come with independence.

12. “We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again.”
- Jamie Tworkowski

With the circumstances that arose in 2015, you and I do not have time to be fake... Be vulnerable, be lovable, and be bold, even when it doesn't seem smart.

13. "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."
- Benjamin Franklin

Even in Benjamin Franklin's time, new years were a fresh start. Let that be your year.

14. "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
- Ronald Reagan

Food for thought - are we fighting for our freedom?

15. "When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful."
- Malala Yousafzai

Speak up - this is a year of expression. Let's make good changes and join together for the betterment of our country.

Enjoy the last few days of 2015, and prepare for another year of life lessons and great memories.