As we settle back into school following the transition into a new year, we have set resolutions and hopes for the start of 2024. Despite the rejuvenation of winter break, the holiday seems too short, cut off when relaxation has finally set in. Although I sympathize with those who wish for a longer intermission, I also encourage them to look upon the fruitful memories that the new year will bring. 

Personally, I have set myself onto a course of a more balanced lifestyle as academics entirely consumed my daily routine in 2023. For better mental health, I hope to remind us all that there is more to life than just the pressure of academics. As an overachieving Korean-American, I can certainly empathize with the anxiety that surrounds classes and grades within the education-centered town that is Lexington. 

I remember the dread I felt as I walked to my biology unit tests, and how anxiety kept me tense until I handed in the assessment. Afterward, my mind always raced with what I might have done wrong, seeming to get lost in regret. 

However, it is in the best interest of us all to remember that progress does not come immediately. It is a matter of patience and consistency, and in almost all that we do we can see that improvement and growth come about from an accumulation of steady effort over time. Thus, let’s remind ourselves to start anew this year, being patient and taking small steps towards our resolutions and hopes. Resolutions can always be made, but it is you who chooses to make them come true. Such is the difference between a distant dream and the action to achieve it. 

In this new year full of determined purpose, I hope that all of us Lexington High School students, no matter who we are, will look upon this fresh start with excitement and remember that change is possible, and it starts with you.