By now, the shimmering crystal ball in the middle of Times Square has made its annual descent to usher in a new year. We've all had our champagne and participated in our countdowns and now here it is, 2017.

It's no secret that 2016 brought us as a general population lots of disappointment on many fronts and had us wishing to see January 1 for a long time. Personally, I do have a lot to be thankful for within this past year, even though I experienced a lot of my own disappointments as well. I maintained and strengthened friendships with my incredible colleagues at school and made wonderful memories with them both this semester and last semester, as well as keeping in touch with friends from outside the campus of LIU Post. I spent an incredible 5th summer as camp staff at my summer home, enjoyed endless days in my favorite city in the world, and had the privilege to sing on the Carnegie Hall stage for the 3rd consecutive year. I've grown both as a person and as a musician in numerous ways and enjoyed countless Broadway musicals and concerts. I'm now a year away from stepping into the classroom as a student teacher to take the final step of my undergraduate career, and have a semester and a half left until my senior voice recital. So, while I've had my share of disappointments, I don't feel like it's appropriate for me to say that the 2016 year was terrible, because I was blessed with so much good fortune as well.

Now I look onward into this new year that just began. Regardless of all that's going on in the world, it's still important to look at 2017 with fresh and open eyes, because this year has so much more to offer than just the political disagreements that have been happening lately, and will probably continue to happen through Inauguration Day. 2017 can still bring us wonderful things, and everyone needs to remember that. That's why I'm looking at this year with the same hopefulness in my heart that I had at the start of 2016, and I sincerely hope to not be let down.

Within the next few months I have so many good things to look forward to and I intend to keep the excitement alive. I turn 21 in a few weeks and can't wait to go out to celebrate with my friends by my side. I have so many opportunities to grow musically and personally this upcoming semester and strengthen my relationships with the outstanding faculty members I get to work with on a daily basis. In May I get to see so many of my friends walk across the stage under the giant white tent on the Great Lawn and get their diplomas after 4 years of insanely hard work. I also get to see so many of those same friends give their senior recitals over the next few months. This summer will be my 16th overall and 6th summer as staff at camp, and I'm looking forward to having some fun adventures with friends this year as well.

That all brings me to my resolutions, and this year I'm being realistic. This year I want to focus more on my vocal health and drink more water, the way I should have been doing all along. I want to try new things both musically and personally, and take advantage of all the opportunities I'm presented with. I want to focus on my friendships; maintaining and strengthening current ones and making new ones, both with people from school and from other parts of life. I also want to make sure I stay healthy and take care of my body, by making sure I'm constantly active, eating right (and enough) and getting enough sleep.

With all the things I want to accomplish and the many things that I already have to look forward to, I'm able to hold on to the hope that 2017 can be a wonderful year, and I encourage everyone else out there to do the same. Life wouldn't be life without disappointment and 2017 will have some too, but that doesn't mean that all hope should be lost after one bad year. It's important to keep the spark of hope alive always, because we wouldn't be the same without it.

So 2017, bring it on. I'm ready for you and all the potential that you have to experience and accomplish great things.