(as told by Georgia State students and faculty)

My process of creating this: I went up and told them the truth. “Yes, this will be published, and no, you do not have to put your name with your answer.” The majority of them loved the idea of being heard. I’m sure everyone in the courtyard and library is a bit tired of seeing my face and hearing the questions: “What are the little things that make you happy?” and “Can you explain that a little more?” Don’t worry, it’s (almost) over. Here is the first part of the 365 reasons to be happy this year:

1. “Destin, Florida.” –Camilla, Psychology

2. “Well, without worrying about money, I would go to a steakhouse. I just love steak.” – Jessica, Early Childhood Education

3. “That you are breathing today.” – Remy, Pre-law

4. “Birthdays. Celebration and being around people with the attention not only on you, but the togetherness.” - Jo-ligh, Journalism

5. “Sweetened, iced green tea.” – Alan, Biology

6. “Being healthy in general. When you’re healthy, everything else kind of falls into place. Mental, physical, and emotional health come together and make every day easier.” – Katherine, Journalism

7. “Ramen noodles, because I’m too poor to afford anything else.” – Zac, Environmental Science

8. “Getting refunds makes me happy.” - Ayshia, Psychology

9. “I’m a film student, so obviously movies make me happy. Comedies in particular because it’s kind of hard to be sad when watching a comedy. Ever notice that?” – Ansyl, Film & Video

10. “When you make it before the lunch rush, so you get to be the first at the restaurant to eat.” – Michelle, Psychology

11. “A good life partner makes me happy. He understands me well, and before I met him I was not fortunate, but after I met him, I just like being with him. So we got married, and now I am happy.” – Meera, Chemistry

12. “Asian women.” – Alex, Economics

13. “Enjoying a nice, cold Coca-Cola. I have Coke everywhere in my room. At the end of the day, you can just have a Coke with ice and it’s amazing.” – Julie, Computer Information Systems

14. “I met my cousin today, and I haven’t seen her in a while, so that was nice.” – John, Chemistry

15. “Smoothies, especially with mango.” Me: "Smoothie King?" “No, I go to the one in the student center; it’s cheaper and way more convenient.” – Olodon, Nutrition

16. “I like watching my cat eat her favorite treat, bananas.” – Karen, Anthropology

17. “Money. I have a little bit of it.” – Milton, Computer Science

18. “Wine, red for sure. I love moscato.” – Nguyn, Astroscience

19. “That’s a hard question…. I guess I’d say sleep, but did someone already say that? You know what, maybe I'll change my answer. Maybe wine—no, definitely white wine.” – Marisa, Social Work

20. “The fact that we are getting a dog Sunday. A Siberian Husky, to be specific.” - Gannon, Human Learning & Development

21. “Video games with friends. It can be PC games in general or just any games honestly.” Friend: “So, what if someone broke into your house with Twister?” Him: “I’d play it. Distraction from school, honestly.” – Sebastian, Biology

22. “Looking cute. When I feel good, I’m so happy about life, but when I look like crap, it’s the opposite. Like when you get that perfect winged eyeliner… ooooh.” – Alexis, Nursing

23. “Coffee makes me happy. I drink it pretty much all day, and it’s the reason I get out of bed in the morning.” – Alex, History

24. “I’m an international student from Jamaica, so being here. The resources are great, and the facilities are amazing.” –Gail, Actual Science

25. “When you, or students in general, come and ask us for help.” – Jose, Faculty

26. “Oh, I really don’t know….‘She’s not a happy person.' Yes I am, so I’ll go with chicken nuggets.” – Madison, Nursing

27. “Love. All forms of it.”- Damon, Theater

28. “My ex-girlfriend—well, I’m going to get her back, but she makes me happy." To his friends: "I’m being dead-ass, and you know that.” – Jason, Business Economics

29. “Mexican food or just chimichangas.” – Anish, Accounting

30. “Shoplifting—well, not just the act but the feeling with it. It’s actually thrilling to know that I have the power to take something and have no consequences, you know, if I don’t get caught.” – Grace, Communications

31. “Having a purpose and goal that’s set in the future and knowing you’re able to accomplish it eventually.” – Thomas, Physical Therapy

32. “That I’m not paralyzed.” – Anonymous

33. “Traveling with no certain destination; just getting away.” – James, Account & Finance

34. “Thunderstorms.” – Janine, Nursing

35. “Hot guys. That cute guy in class. Not from this semester... wait. Actually, the cute guy in Pre-Calc right now.” – Jack, English

36. “Dressing up makes me happy. Like formal, not costumes. The occasion is usually out to a nice dinner with her.” – Jeffrey, Film & Video

37. “Having someone appreciate you. It’s most important in relationships and friendships. Like saying ‘Oh, I appreciate you for that advice.’ It makes me happy because they actually listened to what I told them.” – Khandis, Marketing

38. “My happiness is running. Just running outdoors, not indoors at all.” – Sonia, Marketing

39. “Poetry. I write it in my free time.” – Karen, Nursing

40. “Getting to interact with other people. Here, on campus, we talk about different things ranging from, well I’m a big nerd, international issues and the current issues in politics.” Me: "Donald trump fan?" “Not really, but he is fun to watch.” – Austin, International Relations

41. “My daughter. She was born in April; Sarai is her name. Waking up to her, to be specific. As soon as she wakes up, she tries to talk to me about everything, but can’t actually speak, and I think it’s adorable.” – Brianna, Film & Video

42. “Watching soccer. I’m definitely a European fan, either Borussia Dortmund or Bayern Munich. Once we finish our studying, we are off to watch the Bayern game as a reward.” – Alex, Economics and German

43. “My mom. She is everything for me.” – Kandes, Nursing

44. “Chocolate. Milk chocolate, and if I’m going to get extremely specific, Milka chocolate. I think it’s from Switzerland.” – Denise, Physics

45. “College football. Go Alabama! Well, not this weekend, but you know, usually.” – Chris, Exercise Science

46. “Seeing people give to the homeless, and that happens a lot in Atlanta.” – Michelina, Computer Information System

47. “I don’t know… most things make me happy. I don’t like how long it takes to get food there [at the library café], but everything else is happy.” – Dong, Real Estate

48. “ 'The X-Files,' actually. It’s just good to watch, and it’s weird.” – Carla, Environmental Health

49. “Knowing you’ll do better than others, or when you know others will fail beneath you. Some of my classes, I’m just thinking, ‘How the hell are they going to use that in real life?' Like journalism? I mean no offense, if you are a journalism major with this article.’” – Juan, Sociology

None taken, Juan, since I’m still a psychology major.

50. “Masturbating. That’s what makes me happy. It is a physical manifestation of self-love.” – Rachel, Accounting

51. “Waking up in the morning. Being free, but a morning person? Only some days.” – Charles, Economics

52. “Myself really. I’m just so goofy, and there is never a dull moment. If it’s serious, I can be serious, but other than that…” – Justyce, Business

53. “Reading makes me happy. I feel like it’s one of the few ways to entertain yourself and make you smarter at the same time.” – Mackie, Accounting

54. “A grateful person is a happy person. So I’m thankful for everything that I have. Keeps me happy and puts a smile on my face.” - Martez, Managerial Sciences

55. “Creating. I had to take a mental break yesterday, and I was sanding wood and painting.” – Consuella, Nursing

56. “People that I can talk to with common thoughts. I didn’t get the chance when I was younger, so I love it now.” – Josh, Business

57. “Sleeping.” – Brian, Chemistry

58. “Chocolate or Starbucks, whichever you like better.” – Racquel, Managerial Science

59. “My sorority, and the fact that my family supports it.” – Roshni, Psychology

60. “Marijuana. That’s first thing that popped into my head. But actually football really makes me happy. I plan on playing here at State next year.” – Nigel, Undecided

61. “Music. I can’t explain how it makes me feel. You just know when it makes you feel right.” – Aisha, Public Relations

62. “Taking a warm shower and just relaxing after a long day.” – Rufus, Film & Video

63. “Not listening to my family. So I love them, but if I do something that they don’t like, too bad. It’s my life.” – Alma, Sociology

64. “My relationship with God literally keeps me moving every day.” – Shakarah, Finance & Accounting

65. “Learning new information on anything that is interesting. Well, that I find interesting.” – Dexter, Biology, Part Time Faculty

66. “Family. Time and just the simple memories that you make with them.” – Phillip, Faculty

67. “Seeing my creative ideas come to life. I’m an event planner, so those specifically.” – Adrian, Psychology, Part Time Faculty

68. “Whenever I get to work on something in Photoshop because I am creating something, but it isn’t for anyone else; just myself. I guess you could say self-pleasure, but that could be taken the wrong way, so I guess self-fulfillment.” – Simon, Computer Science

69. “Making people laugh is my happy place in life.” – Gayatri, Speech Communications

70. “I want my degree, yes, so education.” – Ayshia, Psychology

71. “I know this sounds weird, but I always smile when I see little kids. I love kids. Maybe I should just go into day care instead of biology.” – Mikala, Biology

72. “The smell of fall. Like campfire and that pumpkin smell, you know?” – Christine, Biochemistry

73. “Going to work does not make me happy, but every two weeks… that paycheck, though.” – Jasmine, Psychology

74. “Reading my favorite books, sort of, kind of, I think. I can read a book a hundred times and not get bored.” – Summiya, Chemistry and Math

75. “Rice. White rice, jasmine rice to be specific.” – Mavis, Nursing

76. “Being a barista. I love coffee, so I love to make other peoples’ days with the drinks I make them. And no, I don’t work at Starbucks; it’s cuter than that.” – Sarah, Nursing

77. “Soccer and a lot of FIFA.” – Jesus, Marketing

78. “Making beats. It just makes me happy, simple as that.” – Itabari, Music Technology

79. “Nature. Everything around us is beautiful, but for sure I’d rather be in the city because of the fast pace.” – Devin, Psychology

80. “Getting a full night's sleep.” – Marissa, Public Policy

81. “Pet adoptions. Dogs for sure.” – Catie, Faculty

82. “Having a roommate that I get along with.” – Nick, Film & Video

83. “Seeing a cute couple.” – Jasmine, Psychology

84. “The little things in life that makes me happy, I guess, just natural things really. Does that make sense? That’s probably too broad. Because, me personally, I like the way they move. It’s very slow and not rushed. I’m not an environmentalist or anything. I live here because I like the city life. As much as I enjoy the city, it’s nice to have a break sometimes.” - Lee-martin, Computer Science

85. “Doing something for someone else. It’s rewarding and gives you pleasure, and it isn’t dependent on outside resources.” – Blake, Computer Science

86. “Being bilingual.” – Emir, Computer Science

87. “Any kind of noodles because you can slurp them, and it’ll make you happy.” – Inzul, Undecided

88. “10 a.m. classes.” – Alisha, chemistry

89. “When you get really good parking somewhere. When someone is pulling out right up front, and you drive up right at the perfect time.” – Matthew, Faculty

90. “When the leaves change colors in the fall.” – Ian, Business Administration

91. “Good smelling cologne. Acqua Di Giorgio by Armani.” – Justin, Psychology

92. “Random acts of kindness. Like today, someone paid for my gas. Or the other day someone got me breakfast, and I haven’t had breakfast in, like, two months.” – Justin, Nursing

93. “A clean room. I’m like really weird about it. My room has to be clean to have a good day. If it’s dirty, I have a bad day.” – Kaila, Biology

94. “New pens.” – Jo, English

95. “Skipping and sunshine, at the same time.” – Emily, Studio Art

96. “My daughter’s smile. She’s 14 months old.” – Marah, Early Education

97. “Knowing it always gets better no matter where you are.” – Andrew, Elementary Education

98. “My frat, PIKE [Pi Kappa Alpha], makes me happy.” – Sal, Biology

99. “Financial aid.” – Sabah, Biology

100. “When you get your fuzzy blanket out of the dryer, and it’s super warm.” – Genesis, Marketing

101. “Watching Spongebob in the morning.” – Samaria, English

102. “Free items in the campus courtyard. You get happiness from a new shirt. It brightens my day because I didn’t even have to spend money.” – Darien, Computer Science

103. “Spending time with my boyfriend. We have small dates, so I don’t really have a favorite one. Watching Netflix probably.” – Vanessa, Art

104. “Deep conversations at 2 AM.” – Rickey, Managerial Science

105. “Puppies, easily, like, hands down. I’ve cried tears of joy from seeing them and I’m not ashamed to admit that.” – Jake, Computer Science

106. “Naps.” – Kimesha, Human Learning & Improvement, part time faculty

107. “The internet because most people in the world don’t have access to it.” – Abhinab, Computer Science

108. “When you don’t get charged for something at a restaurant, like picking up two sandwiches and only getting charged for one.” – Marco, Political Science

109. “The moment right after you turn something in. It’s all finally over.” – Kweku, African American Studies

110. “Being naturally happy. People say I’m always smiling, so I don’t really know what triggers it. Everything, I guess.” – Alex, Criminal Justice

111. “Class cancellation because that’s the best.” – Chelsea, Spanish

112. “Eating a whole pizza by yourself and the satisfaction after you finish it.” – Josh, Neuroscience

113. “When someone else smiles at you. You know just walking down the street, and you make that eye contact.” – Olivia, Marketing

114. “When it rains, and you get to splash around in the puddles.” – Ryan, Marketing

115. “Live music and concerts. My favorite venue in Atlanta is probably either the Tabernacle or Fox.” – Dan, Marketing

116. “Eating really good food for the first time that my country, Guatemala, doesn’t have.” – Michelle, Nursing

117. “Parties at Frats or house parties.” – Kevin, Neuroscience

118. “Seeing people walking their dogs.” – Jackie, Faculty

119. “Novels and books. Reading is de-stressing in my life.” – Anjali, Biology

120. “Watching Disney movies with my family.” – Liepa, Biology

121. “I’m happy to be working on campus. I’m a student and staff member. I have a lot of things to be thankful for in my life, and I guess, I’m most thankful that I can live on my own and be independent.” – Miyah, Physics, Part Time Faculty

122. “Sunflowers are cute.” – Rena, Biology

123. “Luxury of time to eat my lunch.” – Sylvester, Accounting

124. “My first sip of coffee. I mean, today it was around 2:30 today, and it was the best thing that's happened all day.” – Ricci, English

125. “Summer makes me happy because you can go to the beach and wear bathing suits and bikinis and just have fun. Summer is special in Georgia because I hate the cold and love the heat.” – Robert, Psychology and Political Science

126. “Cloudy days because usually they are windy, and I like the wind. It’s just a good atmosphere.” – Allison, Journalism

127. “Pizza with jalapeños on it.” – Ishan, Business

128. “The greeting I get every time I walk into my apartment by my cat, Blanco. Usually just for a belly rub, but that’s so sweet.” – Emily, Journalism

129. “When it’s the weekend, and you don’t have to wake up. That feeling of sleeping in and nothing needing your attention.” - Afia, Biology

130. “Sushi.” -Josh, English and Audio Engineering

131. “My bed at home.” – Quang, Economics

132. “Food fresh out of the oven - Wait, actually, just muffins fresh out of the oven.” – Lola, Biology

133. “Talking to pretty girls like you. So, you can put that in the article.” – Liem, Computer Information Systems

134. “Sex.” – Mo, International Economics

135. “Umbrellas, especially on rainy days like this.” – Avery, Marketing

136. “Locally grown food.” – Morgan, Geology

137. “Random compliments.” – Tiara, Journalism

138. “When you pass a test you thought you’d fail.” – Michelle, Linguistics

139. “Being around good friends. People that make you a better person. Or just finding people that make you a better person.” – Ellen, Neuroscience

140. “Achieving my goals. That feeling of success after I achieve them.” – Isaac, Clinical Health

141. “A toss-up between adventure and people.” – Gavi, Psychology

142. “When I went to Dragon-Con, I was dressed up as Cinderella, and a little girl ran and hugged me. She was like 3 years old, and she thought I was Cinderella, so I picked her up and twirled her around. She was so happy with the picture. Dorky but yeah, it made me so happy.” – Nicole, English

143. “Life is too short to be sad.” – Michael, Neuroscience

144. “Being downtown. A lot of people don’t have this opportunity, and I feel blessed with it.” – Grace, Neuroscience

145. “Having a social life and something to do.” – Chris, Computer Science

146. “Going to see independent films.” – Sarah, Nursing

147. “Opportunity in life makes me happy.” – Justice, Managerial Science

148. “Dessert. Cheesecake. I love the Cheese Cake Factory; there’s one right near my house.” – Raissa, Biology

149. “The feeling after church. A Sunday afternoon especially when it’s pretty out.” – Shelby, Journalism

150. “Salt and pepper on my scrambled eggs.” - D’jaara, Nursing

151. “Putting on warm socks.” – Ricardo, Nursing

152. “Ice cream. Cookies n cream not chocolate chip.” – Samhita, Computer Science

153. “A nice day. Ideally, 80 degrees.” – Maya, Exercise Science

154. “Plain bagels with strawberry cream cheese. It keeps me going.” – Anh, Biology

155. “Knowing even when things go wrong that it’s just a part of the plan made for me by Jesus.” – Taylor, Marketing

156. “Bike rides in the morning. It wakes me up and puts me in my place since everything in me has a chance to wake up during this time of the day.” –Amy, Nursing

157. “Being able to come into a community like this one where everyone is accepting with such a wide array of lifestyles and interests.

158. And Redbull.” – Dani, Political Science

159. “My dog. He’s always there for me whenever I need him even though he uses the bathroom in the house…” – Cairo, Managerial Science

160. “Good grades. And money and weed.” – Matthew, Managerial Science

161. “Winter because I like the wardrobe.” – Shakirun, Computer Information Systems

162. “The colors golden and blue. Just my favorite colors, kind of, you could say.” – Hannah, Public Policy

163. “I know pizza is said a lot, but I can eat pizza 365 days out of the year, 365 ways, 365 times, and I’d be happy” – Bryce, Nursing

164. “Free expression. Anything is art because it’s all a commentary. I’m an artist, and when I walk down the street I think every moment is expression, and it’s beautiful to have all these people and audience around you at all times.” – Rafael, English

165. “My girlfriend. “ – Sammy, Marketing & Finance

166. “Fruit snacks.” – Kyrah, Nursing

167. “Indian food. Indian sweets, naan, and chicken cooked every way that you can possible cook it.” – Joel, Computer Science

168. “Lightbulbs.” – Lizzy, Criminal Justice

169. “Apple products.” – Aida, Faculty

170. “A good Quentin Tarantino movie.” – Brian, Chemistry

171. “Meeting someone new.” – Allison, Accounting

172. “Neuroscience.” – Daniel, Computer Science

173. “I really enjoy reading biographies.” – Markisha, Biology

174. “My Xbox, PlayStation, my phone. Basically all kinds of electronics because I couldn’t live without them.” – Eugine, Faculty

175. “Good music that can evoke a lot of emotions. Anyone can put together a basic beat like those dubstep songs, but real good music is very dynamic.” – Ricky, Business

176. “Reading the bible.” – Yong, Computer Science

177. “I love helping others with small things. Here at Georgia State it could be just holding the door for someone.” – Anna, English

178. “When it isn’t raining outside when you have to walk to class.” – Mani, Psychology

179. “Just catching the Marta train like as soon as you walk onto the platform.” – Cameron, Nursing

180. “Learning how to make a traditional dish as well, or almost as well, as your Bosnian grandmother.” – Melisa, Philosophy

181. “Success like in college and in life in general.” Me: "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" “Dental school or maybe working on my PhD at a school in Boston.” – Dorsa, Biology

182. “Korean food because it’s so warm. There’s a warmness inside of it that just makes me feel good.” – Vy, Biology

...to be continued...