Bear with me, this week’s article is so last year, but nonetheless, one week into 2017 and I feel as though I have not properly appreciated the significance of 2016. As I rang in the new year with a group of my closest friends, I was as happy as the next person, to finally say goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017. Undoubtedly, 2016 was a year that brought about heartache, distress, and grief, but it was also an amazing year that contains some of my favorite memories. Additionally, 2016 was a life changing year that generated a lot of personal growth. As I wholeheartedly embrace the new year, I am beyond grateful for all of the experiences, lessons and people that were apart of my 2016. Below are some reasons why 2016 is a year to remember!
1. I attended my first New York Fashion Week.
Fashion has always been my first passion. If I possessed more artistic abilities I would without a doubt, be in school for fashion design. However, I can’t even color within the lines, therefore I stick to watching from the sidelines, well, usually from my laptop! But this year, I was able to attend my first New York Fashion Week show: Tommy Hilfiger! I can honestly say, the show changed my life and inspired me in ways I never even knew were possible. Being surrounded by like-minded individuals, put me at ease and motivated me to work hard so my dreams of attending ALL of the shows, could one day become a reality. Fortunately, later that year I had the opportunity to attend another Tommy Hilfiger show, where I watched my idols, Gigi Hadid and Taylor Hill strut down the runway.
2. I went to San Francisco.
After compiling all of my birthday money, my sister and I hopped on a plane and headed to San Francisco, California, to visit our brother. The trip was taken, during a time that I was experiencing some hardships in my personal life, and therefore served as a distraction. But in many ways, it did so much more. Not only is it one of the highlights of my 2016, but it is a catalyst that truly allowed me to fall in love with my life and world around me. The breezy air and the smell of the bay, combined with the hustle and bustle of the city, inspired me and awakened a part of me I never knew I existed.
3. I Graduated High School.
2016 was the year of my high school graduation. On June 24, 2016, while my family and friends sat in the audience, I walked across a stage and accepted my high school diploma. Graduating high school is something I have always dreamt about, and after spending 4 years in the same building with the same people, I was beyond scared to venture into an unfamiliar setting, which leads us to our next point: starting college!
4. I was accepted to Stony Brook University, where I completed my first semester of college.
Following the summer of 2016, I packed up all of my things and moved into a dorm room at Stony Brook University. As one can imagine, it was one of the most significant events of 2016. For the first time, I was living without my parents and I had to learn to do things alone and ultimately...be an adult, kind of. I mean doing your own laundry counts as adulting, right? The start of college brought about a lot of change. My first semester of college at Stony Brook University contains some of my fondest memories of 2016. I met some of my best friends that I know will be apart of my life forever, I had some amazing academic and extracurricular opportunities, and I had a lot of new experiences. Afternoons spent in the library freaking out over the continuously appearing blackboard assignments and nights spent eating the barley cooked hamburgers in the dining hall are memories I will definitely cherish.
5. I Fell In Love.
Falling in love is one of the most painful feelings in the world but it is also one of the best. In 2016, I fell in love with him. After a series of failed relationships and feeling as though I would be alone forever, he broke down my walls and allowed me to feel what it is like to be truly loved. Falling in love with him, evoked emotions I never even knew existed and taught me a lot about myself.
6. He Fell Out of love.
In 2016, he fell out of love with me and it hurt like hell. In 2017, it still hurts. There is nothing quite like losing the person you love and not being able to do anything about it. The emotions that ensue after a heartbreak consume you. And unfortunately, much of 2016 revolved around heartbreak. I remember what seemed like endless nights spent crying into my pillow, hoping my roommate wouldn’t hear, and the days that I had to literally coax myself out of bed. But, I truly am grateful for the heartbreak that occurred in 2016 because it has taught me lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Additionally, the heartbreak has had a huge role in shaping me into the person that I am today and for that, I am so thankful. These days, I am falling out of love with him and in love with myself.
7. I became me.
2016 was a year that contained a lot of personal growth. Undoubtedly, 2016 was the year where I became myself. Many would call it a phase, and trust me my grandmother was not happy when I came home with purple hair and my mom was even less happy when I came home with a septum piercing. But in 2016, I became more comfortable with who I truly am and even embraced it! Throughout the duration of 2016, I also learned a lot about myself. I learned about what makes me happy and what makes me sad, I learned about what I like and what I don’t like, my strengths and my weaknesses and the type of person I want to be, the life I want to live, and so on and so forth.
Throughout 2016, there was a multitude of ups and downs, but everything I have experienced in the past year has brought me to where I am today and for that, 2016 is undoubtedly a year to remember!
