Honestly, I don’t even know how to describe 2016. It was a mess, in more ways than one.

There were ups and downs, and then some more downs lol. But, within the bad there was also some good. I can only hope that 2017 has twice as much good as 2016 had, and half as much bad.

I learned a lot this year; about myself, my friends, my school, and the world. I grew as a human being, as a friend, a sister, a daughter, a student, a future teacher, and a pageant girl. This year had it's ups and downs, but what I learn from it is all that really matters in the end.

I’m currently sitting on my bedroom floor next to an empty shoe box and a mason jar filled with memories from 2016.The good, the bad, and the ugly. So, here goes.

In 2016, I started my junior year of college, started student teaching in a 5th grade classroom, with a teacher who I aspire to be one day, spent 16 hours in the library, joined a sorority (Gamma Sig <3 ), competed at National American Miss National pageant for the first time since I started competing five years ago, and saw many movies (La La Land, Fantastic Beasts, The Eagle Huntress, Allegiant, Zootopia).I spent more time in the library than my own room for a month or two, volunteered with child burn victim survivors, lost my fish (RIP Flounder), wore heels pretty much for a whole week, and attended the Faces of Pace event which had amazing food. I got a big that is pretty much my twin, discovered that I STILL have not found a wine i like, and I applied for a new pageant system, as I’m aging out of NAM. I became a city queen for NAM Nationals, which means I was in the top 5 for the miss New York title, took driving lessons, and drove on a highway and in a traffic circle for the first time ever! I went to Disneyland for the first time in my life, and met some amazing girls at NAM Nationals. I attended and helped out at my third Pace 4 Kids dance marathon, watch the entirety of Greek within a week, and I got my first 3 pairs of LuLaRoe leggings! I failed math by less than 2 points, saw an amazing documentary called “The Eagle Huntress” at Jacob Burns with my science methods class (highly recommend, I give it 12 out of 10 stars), and I bought an AMAZING gown that i’m absolutely in love with. I joined the E-Board of Future Educators Association as the secretary, got lava cake 3 times in one week (two of them were within 24 hours), pulled off “Mission Make Boys Cry / Operation Look Hot AF” with Megan and Emilee, walked the runway for Mon Cheri model scouts, watched all 9 seasons of One Tree Hill in 12 days (super proud of this), and I slept over a boys’ house for the first time on my own (as in not a group sleepover). I drove in rain for the first time (and discovered i didn’t totally hate it), voted in an election for the first time, went to California for the first time, and went to a real live model search for Mac Duggal. I apparently had some really good 2 am real talks, went to my first paint party, won Miss Personality 1st runner up for the All-American miss division at nationals, went to my first pinning ceremony, played Monopoly at 2:30 am, slept in a bed with 4 people in it (not much room to breathe lol), went to Cheesecake Factory for the first time (and then 2nd-5th time), drove at night for the first time, went to Artrageous with one of my best friends, and I went to the dentist for the first time in 3 years. I got tie-dyed pancakes for the first time, had a board game day with my dad and brother, got a dragon stuffed animal at the spring carnival that I named Eragon, dragon - sat for Chris’s dragon (and named it Aramis) over summer, changed a diaper for the first time (day care woohoo!), made my first paddle with my two best friends, and I watched all of Gilmore Girls. I changed trains at Jamaica for the first time, stayed at the AXP house till 6 am, went to AXP’s formal with one of my best friends, cut and donated 10 inches of my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, was one of two co-chairs for Relay for Life 2016 / ran Relay for Life, and experienced the greatness of Stew Leonard’s for the first time. I got amazing mac and cheese at The Good Life restaurant in Massapequa, started writing for Odyssey Online (AY), visited and toured Hollywood, CA, tried tequila for the first time, learned how to play silentball / mumball, went on a real live bear hunt at Pace, went to Bounce!, and played monster mini golf. I spoke on the school of education panel at a pace bound event, had one of my Odyssey articles featured on their Facebook page, went to my first crossing night party (and ended up with my first real (mini) hangover the next morning #notashamed), went to a playground next to a prison, went ice skating for birthweekend, had a rom com night on valentine’s day, went out of my comfort zone a few times, saw Rocky Horror Picture Show for my first time (movie and shadow cast!), and saw Finding Neverland on Broadway. I raised the money to go to NAM nationals all by myself, had a bake sale that raised $150, got ticketed for being on a beach after 11 pm, saw Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in theaters, and I got my first official pageant crown and banner.

All in all, I guess it was a pretty good year. There were some minor heartbreaks and bad days, but I guess the good days overtook the bad. Here’s to never looking back and not giving up.