First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year in 2017!

Having said that, New Years is a time for a fresh start for everyone. We all make mistakes and a new year is a new beginning for many. It's tome to move on and do other things. Don't live in the past all the time. I usually see New Years as the first step in trying something a little different; it's something that you normally wouldn't do, something to improve on, or something that you haven't done yet on your long bucket list.

This year I know I'll be doing two. Two different experiences, one being for charity and another that's more personal.

The first I already knew was that I was going to do the "polar plunge" with my fraternity, Kappa Sigma (Kappa-Eta chapter), where the donations raised go to charity. Polar plunge is a simple concept: you run into a freezing river to get to the other side and back. I like cold weather, but I'd never imagine I'd be swimming/running in it. This would be my second time going to the polar plunge; the first time I didn't go in, but I promised I'd go in next year. 2017 is the year.

The second thing was a surprise. Just this past Christmas I got a DNA test kit from Ancestry.com. The DNA sample kit enables you to trace your heritage back to multiple generations of your family's history. All you have to do is provide some spit and send it in. The whole process of tracing one's family roots reminded me of Alex Haley's "Roots", which wasn't just a novel, but also a TV miniseries.

Bottom line is that the New Year allows for something "new" to happen in your life. It's fitting isn't it? Oh, actually, I forgot. I'm actually experiencing three new things in 2017. I already mentioned two: polar plunge and tracing my ancestry.

The third one? I have one more semester of college left which means I'll be graduating from Widener University in May.

Happy New Year everyone and go out and do something new!