Well folks, 2020 is off to a fantastic start as we all jump back into school with new challenging courses, amusing classmates, and eccentric professors! For those who have already started their term papers, and those who haven’t even bought their textbooks yet, hopefully you are all refreshed and ready to tackle whatever hurdles this semester throws at us. As diverse a student population as we are, we all have new ideas and new challenges to face. Here are some New Year’s Resolutions from your fellow schoolmates. Hopefully you’ll take some inspiration from this list of 2020 goals!

Ginny, Social Work: “Drink less and cook more instead of ordering food.”

Heather, Archaeology/Ancient Greek and Roman Studies: “To stop eating on campus to save money so I can go on a dig in Pompeii this year.”

Carson, History: “To get my grades up.”

MaeMae, Political Studies: “I want to stop being avoidant and start being nicer to myself. Not in a *treat yourself* kind of way, but things like self-forgiveness.”

Arianna, Psychology: “Eat healthier/do more grocery shopping, and try to curb my procrastination a little better, and get started on assignments sooner.”

Jacob, Biology: “Get cosmetic surgery to permanently increase the size of my hands.”

Erik, Business Administration: “Aim to graduate [and] live a healthier lifestyle.”

Reka, Archaeology: “I’m trying to cultivate a lifestyle for myself this year to be even more sustainable in my daily choices and to let go of toxic things.”

Rebecca, Ancient Greek and Roman Studies: “I resolve to keep up with my reading and sleep in less.”

David, Environmental Science/Biology: “To stick to my schedule and structure my free time better.”

Matthew, Computing and Information Systems: “To go to school as little as possible while maintaining my average.”

Theo, Politics/English Literature: “I’m wanting to be a more adventurous person and see more of Canada!”

Emily, English/French: “This year I hope to be less afraid and actively stand up for what I believe in; I want to be more involved in politics and raise awareness about climate change and social issues!”

Dante, English: “My aim is to incorporate more feminist themes into my writing, and finally read Doctor Zhivago!”

Punyaja, Computing Systems: “To join TISA and help new international students feel welcome, have fun at Trent, and not be left out amongst the huge crowd.”

Karen, Social Work: “I need to do more to help my depression. So working out, eating more nutritious meals, fixing my sleep schedule, as well as seeking out other resources like therapy.”

And finally, perhaps the most inspiring answers of them all...

Sanya, English/Media Studies: “2019 was a really tough year for me, I moved out and shifted to a new country. It was the year of change and struggles. In the process of adjusting and adapting to this new life, I realized that I was being super hard on myself. I realized that I’ve been avoiding everything that was once super important to me. My resolution for 2020 is to be a better person for myself. I’m going to try to give myself everything that I deserve and make sure that I am happy in the life I’m living, no matter how f****d up the situation is!”

Bailey Jantzi, Business: “My aim is to make the conversation about happiness louder. I want people to stop listening to the opinions of others and start placing more value on their own opinions. I want to change people’s mindset so they can see how much control they truly have in their own lives. I want 2020 to be the year where people do what makes them happy. Stop worrying about graduating, or getting married at a certain age, and just focus on being happy.”