It goes without saying that 2016 was a rough year for everyone. We all have up and down years, but this year was an extra special brand of mediocre. But instead of reflecting on the worst of this year, there was one thing that helped me through this year: the Broadway musical Hamilton.

1. Alexander Hamilton

This was literally the first song of the soundtrack that I heard. My sister, her boyfriend and I went out to get a bite to eat the day my nana passed away, and she decided to play it. Now at the time I heard it, all I knew was that the musical mixed hip hop and rap and it never sounded like I expected it to. But it was a solid introduction to the soundtrack.

2. Cabinet Battle #2

Now while Alexander Hamilton was the first song that I heard, this was the first song that I committed myself to learn. I always found both sides to be enjoyable to take up; Hamilton because of the sass that was conveyed, and Jefferson varied from sassy to bordering on a bratty five-year-old.

3. The Room Where it Happened

In April 2016, I went to the State House to lobby with the advocacy group MASSPIRG (Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group), and I was talking to my State Representatives to sign onto a bill that would lift the state's solar cap. In between my meetings, this song kept playing in my head and I felt like I was making an impact with these meetings.

4. Non-Stop

I've gone through one heck of a crunch during the last half of my sophomore spring semester, and was much like Hamilton here. I had Film Club, MASSPIRG, watching the primary season, and a myriad of papers. I played this song on replay when writing my Film Studies paper and got a boost from the line "HAMILTON WROTE...THE OTHER FIFTY-ONE!"

5. Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

This was the song that I can attribute to the summer. It brings memories of driving around with my sister and this being one of the many go to songs to jam to (aside from Guns and Ships).

6. It's Quiet Uptown

This summer was very hectic, with almost all hell breaking across the world, Whenever it got too much, I gave myself small social media hiatuses and

7. Wait for It

During the summer of this year, I have grown more silent in my positions on social and political positions. And by July/August, I was weary and had no interest in getting into a conflict. I had to do what I could to keep control of only myself and adopted Burr's philosophy.

9. Hurricane

On the Friday of the election, I thought about the possibility that Question 4 (the legalization of cannabis) would not pass. And this was something I supported, as it would add some more revenue to the state. In response, I wrote an article defending the ballot initiative. This was my hurricane and I was willing to write my way out.