I listened to an NPR podcast about the Tony Awards after the Pulse shooting, and I cried. I still think about the Pulse shooting at least once a week. This year has been immense, painful, and a time for growth, especially my own personal growth.

We've lost icons like David Bowie, Prince, Muhammad Ali, and now George Michael and Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds passing away a DAY after her daughter. Our President-elect used fear and pandered to the white population to gain the nomination and the election. He has pitted the country against each other. We are more divided than ever. A man accused of multiple sexual assaults is our next president. White Supremacists are gaining a lot of control, one being Trump's Chief Strategist. Brock Turner only served three months for raping a fellow Stanford student. We experienced the most deadly mass shooting in our history as a country, against the LGBT community.

But there has been some light and some joy this year.

This year and last year, Hamilton has shot to the mainstream and helped us connect and learn and reflect. Lin-Manuel Miranda made everyone cry with his sonnet at the Tony Awards the night after the shooting in Orlando. We received a beautiful gift from Disney-- Moana-- with music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda featuring a Polynesian "princess" who doesn't have a love interest. A "princess" who knows who she is and who she wants to be and saves the world herself. Disney is highlighting cultures that don't look like others they have delved into before. Beyonce released Lemonade. The unemployment rate is 4.6%. The Cubs won the World Series. The US Olympic team kicked butt in Gymnastics and Swimming. Hillary Clinton was nominated to be President. We got Zootopia, Deadpool, Fantastic Beasts and the Hamilton Mixtape. We got Trevor Noah's memoir. We got Moonlight. 13th from Ava DuVernay. Atlanta from Donald Glover, and a new album from Childish Gambino AND Frank Ocean. Rogue One. A&E is making a docu-series about the KKK and people that are trying to get out of it.

A national discussion is opening up about sexual assault and what we can do to prevent it. President Obama signed the Survivor's Bill of Rights in October.

I have found myself and what I want to do to achieve my goals. I've gained confidence and pride in myself that I have never had before. I'm learning about things I previously never had before, mostly regarding diversity and social issues. I figured out my major finally. I applied to volunteer to help survivors of sexual and domestic assault.

I also want to point out that Ava DuVernay liked a tweet about watching 13th on the anniversary of Fred Hampton's assassination, and I cried and it made my 2016.

2016 was, let's face it, a pretty terrible year. I hope 2017 will be filled with hope and kindness and less hatred towards people who don't think or look like us. Because we are all humans, and we all deserve to not be fearful or hurting.