Danie Maxelus – Marketing director
This year, I’m focusing on cultivating a positive mindset and building sustainable habits. One of my main goals is to spend more time journaling, allowing me to process my thoughts and track them consistently. I’ve realized that having good habits is essential for me because, without them, I tend to feel overwhelmed.
Creating habits takes time, so I’m prioritizing reducing stress as much as possible and building habits slowly but intentionally. For example, I’m working on cutting back on Uber Eats, developing better savings habits, and focusing on eating healthier. My ultimate goal is to turn these into automatic routines that require little thought—habits so natural that they eventually become second nature.
It’s all about taking small, manageable steps and giving myself the grace to grow at my own pace.
Clarisa Gonzalez – Social Media director
For 2025, I have decided to actually keep track of my goals. I found that in previous years, I would always have New Year resolutions, but I never wrote them down to keep track of them as the year went on. This time I have created a list of goals, small and large. I find that implementing small changes to my daily routine has significantly helped me feel more accomplished and happier in general.
- I want to focus more on my hobbies and other interests. Doom scrolling on TikTok is out, and hobbies are in! For a long time, I felt that life was just passing me by. But pouring into my creative spirit has made me feel more grounded and present in the moment.
- Getting out of my comfort zone is scary, and I still struggle to push myself in certain situations. Naturally, I am quite introverted and shy, but I really want to make more connections and take up more space in a room.
- My spending habits need to be sorted out! This year, I got a budget template to keep track of my expenses. I really want to travel more, and in order for me to do that, I need to sacrifice a little to save for a trip soon. I think it will be worth it!
Leolla Del villano – events director
This January, I felt like I ran out of New Year’s resolutions. Every year, I would tell myself to start something new or add something into my routine. I already resolved to go to the gym, eat healthy, implement a set skincare routine, etc. In the weeks coming up to 2025, I was genuinely unsure of what was missing in my life.
Right before the New Year, I had an idea. Instead of looking for what I’m missing, I needed to focus on what I already have.
Firstly, clothes and products.
It’s hard to scroll through social media, head to the store, and even go to school or work without being influenced by some form of consumerism. I’ll admit to it–I’ve bought more than I need, and it’s reflected in my wardrobe and vanity. This year, I want to focus on either repurposing my belongings or donating/selling them. So far, I’ve gone through most of my old clothes and figured out what fits and what doesn’t. The next step is to figure out what to sell and what to donate. In terms of my skincare and haircare products, I’m going to be following an up-and-coming TikTok trend called Project Pan. Project pan is a new(ish) trend on TikTok where creators will lay out all of their products, whether that’s makeup, moisturizers, or many, many other things, and begin to use all of the product before buying a new one that falls into the same category. To keep this part of my resolution relevant throughout the entire year, I plan to only buy new clothes or products once I finish or sell an item of the same category. This is my most thought-out resolution thus far because it’s mainly action-driven, and I’m excited to see how it works for me (and my wallet).
Secondly, healthy habits.
I mentioned this briefly above, but I already feel as though I’ve successfully implemented a lot of healthy habits into my daily life. Although this is true, I do go to the gym and I do eat healthy, I struggle with consistency. This year, I want to focus on the habits that I’ve already become familiar with, and I want to try and mould them into a schedule that doesn’t overwhelm me. I’ll be honest: it was easier to keep up with my habits in high school. I’ve had some trouble trying to fit everything into my university schedule, so I’ve decided to figure out a routine that I’ll be able to follow consistently without feeling burnt out from school or work. I’m still in the process of figuring out the details, like when to meal prep and when to decide to buy an easier option, but I feel like once I have a plan that doesn’t cause me stress, I’ll be able to follow it much more easily.
This ties into the final part of my resolution–expectations.
I feel like it’s become normalized to assume that, on January 1st, you’ll suddenly transform into a person with the time, energy, and knowledge to commit to all of your goals immediately and without fail. I’ve lived through enough New Year’s to know that, unfortunately, this isn’t true. As students, employees, and people in general, we’re often our biggest critics. This year, I want to remind myself that unparalleled expectations are seldom met, and it’s much more realistic to set short-term, manageable goals. I’m not going to be setting my path towards any grandiose, concrete achievements–instead, the only expectations I have for myself this year are to keep up the good work, and take each mistake and setback with the grace I’d give a friend instead of the disdain I often feel. Yes, I still want to focus on learning new skills and updating my portfolio, but I want to approach achieving these goals completely differently–and that’s okay.
I know that I don’t need anything new to make 2025 a year to be proud of, and I’ve decided to let my resolutions reflect that.
Venesa Lahu – VP of finance
Okay, so I usually don’t go overboard with New Year’s resolutions, but this year, I actually have a few things I want to focus on. Nothing too crazy, but just small changes to make 2025 a little better than last year.
1. Reaching My Fitness Goals & Running Outside
I’ve always said I wanted to be that person who enjoys running outside, and honestly? I’m making it happen this year. The gym is great, and I want to continue to take it seriously, but there’s something about running outside that feels refreshing and would (hopefully) leave me feeling accomplished.
2. Thrifting More & Cutting Down on Impulse Buys
I love a good shopping spree, but let’s be real…fast fashion is expensive and wasteful, and half the time, I end up wearing the same five outfits anyway. This year, I want to thrift a lot more, find unique pieces, and enjoy curating my own wardrobe instead of just buying whatever’s trending online.
3. Being More Positive (Because Overthinking is Exhausting)
If overthinking was an Olympic sport, I’d have a gold medal. This year, I want to work on having a more positive mindset, focusing on the good, stressing less, and trusting that things will work out, and everything happens for me a reason. I’m gonna try and achieve this by journaling more, daily affirmations, and just reminding myself to relax more.
Sarah Hirsi – social media
Every year, I’ve set goals that were completely out of touch with reality, whether it was working out every single day, cutting out all my bad habits overnight, or trying to master five new skills at once. And every year, I found myself falling short and feeling disappointed. But this time, in 2025, I have a lot planned out for myself, and I am NOT letting myself fall behind on any of my goals. This year, I’m setting goals that are realistic, achievable, and meaningful to me. I’m committed to staying consistent and holding myself accountable every single day. I will be putting in the work, and I will be a new girl this new year.
- Work on Time Management: This might sound like an unrealistic goal if you know me, but this year, I am truly dedicated to improving my time management. I’m focusing on making sure I have enough time for school, work, and, most importantly, myself. Yes, you read that right—I’m going to take control of my schedule and ensure that I manage my time effectively.
- Daily Affirmations: This may sound silly to some, but I believe it’s an achievable goal that will benefit me greatly. Speaking positively to myself and practicing daily affirmations will help me build confidence, stay motivated, and push through challenges. By doing this, I’ll be in the right mindset to accomplish my future goals.
- Prioritizing Health and Wellness: This year, I want to focus on taking better care of my physical and mental health. Whether it’s eating more nutritious meals, staying active, or setting boundaries to protect my mental space, I am determined to make my well-being a top priority. A healthy me is a happy me, and I know that taking small steps every day will lead to lasting change.
Symah Mbaga – Events Team member
Lessons Learned
I have never been the one to set New Year’s resolutions. However, in every new year, I always strive to be a better version of myself. Taking everything I learned from the previous year into the new year. Here are some lessons that I had learned in 2024 that I am bringing with me into 2025:
1) Learning to give myself grace
As students, we all tend to starch ourselves thin between coursework, extracurriculars, and having a social life. I find my calendar filled for most of the days and would be unhappy if I didn’t complete a certain number of tasks by the end of the day.
2024, I learned the value of just giving myself grace, not feeling bad, and even taking time to breathe and recollect myself. I hope that I can continue to give myself grace in 2025 to be sure to give myself time to breathe so I can be at my best in every aspect of my life.
2) Stepping a little bolder
Even though I know that I have a very outgoing social personality, stepping out of your comfort zone is scary for everyone. Despite how sociable I appear and how open I am to meeting new people, last year, I realized that I have always tended to stick with the parameters I set for myself regarding what I could or couldn’t do. This last year, I permitted myself to do things that I was afraid of and that has led to some amazing things. In 2025, I hope to continue to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to be a little bolder.
3) Finding the power within “nobody cares”
As negative as the phrase “nobody cares,” I have learned to find the power within it. Whenever I want, I try something new, or I get nervous about doing something. I try to remember that, as people, we are all caught up in our own lives to remember every single detail of everyone else’s lives.
So get super dressed up because you feel like it!
Tell your friends that you appreciate having them in your life loud and proudly!
Tell that person on the bus that you like their earrings!
Laugh with your whole chest!
In 2025, I hope to continue to remember that at the end of the day, no one cares, so do what brings you joy. You might have even made yours or someone else’s day a little brighter.
Natalie Barcewicz – events team member
My resolutions this year have taken a step back from habit and are focusing more on my attitude and personality. Usually, I set up my goals as actual actions to complete; like going to the gym consistently or making new network connections regarding my field. This year I decided to approach more internal things; specifically intentionality, anger & impatience, and a social attitude.
- Intentionality: Last year I found myself going through the motions: studying, eating, creating art, without actually taking any of it or appreciating what I was doing. This year, I aim to take a step back and reflect on my actions and no longer just “do it to get it done” or because I need to. I am aiming to do things intentionally.
- Anger & impatience: The biggest flaw I see in myself is anger and impatience. This year I am aiming to think before I speak, and to be less “snappy”. Instead of reacting immediately to things, I am going to take a step back and breathe before I speak! I am going to apply this to my impatience as well.
- Social Attitude: My whole life, I have been socially anxious and introverted in the worst ways possible. Avoiding social contact at all costs, sitting silently, afraid to be heard, and shutting myself away from people in general was becoming a problem. This year, I am aiming (and succeeding so far!) to talk more and be louder in every room I walk into. By slowly making more and more conversation with my peers and exposing myself to social situations, I will no longer sit in silence!
We hope you were inspired by our execs New Year’s resolutions, I know we were!! With love from the HCC Team :)