On New Year’s Eve 2024, my family and I swapped out the traditional New Year’s resolutions for a new approach to self-improvement: a five-by-five bingo card, with each square representing a goal we’d like to accomplish at some point during the year. Now that 2025 has come to a close, I’m reflecting on what I’ve accomplished this year. There were highs and there were lows, but overall, I’m pleasantly surprised with my commitment to my goals.
Without further ado, here’s a full recap of my 2025 bingo card.
Complete: Get my driver’s license.
After ten months of my family heckling me about it, I finally got my license last June. I then promptly got into a car crash in October. Goodbye, beautiful blue 2007 Prius.
Complete: Donate $100.
Giving back is something I love to do, and I’m so grateful that I was able to do that this year. I hope that next year, I can do a bit more.
Incomplete: Read fifteen books.
I’m trying not to beat myself up about this, but I am a bit ashamed that I’ve let my reading habits dwindle over the past few years. Of the eleven books I did read, I found many gems, including The Bluest Eye, The Great Gatsby (twice!), and Night Sky with Exit Wounds.
I also had a fair share of books that I did not finish. Notably, I balked a few chapters into Zadie Smith’s White Teeth. It’s disheartening and ironic that I can’t seem to jive with the work of the author I was literally named after.
Complete: Become Editor-in-Chief of The Tattler.
This is more impressive if you don’t know that I ran uncontested.
Still, I’m so lucky to be in this position. At a point in time when journalism is being challenged both nationally and internationally, it’s more important than ever to support the next generation of writers.
Complete: Do one morning run with my mom and sister.
If you know me, you’ll know that I am (as my mom puts it) “allergic to exercise.” So, going on a single run warranted its own bingo square. I managed to cross this one off my card when the weather warmed.
Complete: Get my savings account up to ten thousand dollars.
I’m honestly a little in awe of the fact that I did this. Gaining the willpower I needed to stop buying special treats and drinks at every corner really did pay off.
Complete: Go on five coffee/food adventures with my sister.
Alright, maybe I did buy a few special treats here and there. This is incredibly easy to do when you have a sister who constantly enables you (and who you enable, too).
Our adventures are unfortunately usually paired with extravagant shopping, though. Thus…
Incomplete: Put myself on a three-month clothes-buying moratorium.
…I couldn’t seem to keep my shopping addiction in check. To my credit, I thrift the majority of my clothing (and I mean real, touch-every-damn-shirt-at-Goodwill thrifting), but it is definitely a problem I need to fix in 2026.
Incomplete: Attend twelve shows.
I saw eight shows this year, which I’m not mad at. Many of the ones I saw were local, secondary-level productions, and I also saw Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway (pre-Andrew Barth Feldman casting…).
My favorite show I saw this year was Witch at Ithaca College. The Theatre Administration majors (TAMs) got me a last-minute ticket, and I am endlessly grateful that they did. I initially felt awful that I was able to bypass the insane waitlist, but after seeing the show, I wouldn’t have traded my ticket for the world. Thank you, TAMs!
Complete: Straight A’s junior year.
Thank you to caffeinated drinks and sheer determination for helping me achieve this one.
Incomplete: Host five get-togethers.
Alas, I was too caught up in schoolwork to prioritize my social life. Well, that’s not entirely true—I just preferred smaller, intimate plans over big parties.
Complete: Land a lead role.
In April, I performed not only a lead role but a dream role: Alyssa Greene in The Prom. The entire show was an absolute dream, and working alongside three of my close friends to make the story come to life made the experience that much richer.
Incomplete: Call my cousins twelve times.
The three-hour time difference, coupled with the fact that my sister, cousins, and I all partake in demanding extracurriculars, doesn’t help this cause. When we were able to connect, though, the time felt immensely more valuable.
Complete: Get into SHAD Canada.
When my dad was seventeen, he went to SHAD Canada—a month-long STEM and entrepreneurship program—at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Thirty-six years later, he sent me off to SHAD A+ at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was easily one of the best months of my life.
Complete: Visit three new cities.
My family and I road-tripped up to Boston, then kept driving through Maine and into New Brunswick. During SHAD, I travelled all around New Brunswick: to the quaint seaside town of Alma, where I had the second most delicious fish cakes of my life; to Cape Enrage, home to the highest tides in the world; and to St. Andrews, where I saw my favorite animal (seals) and tagged crabs with sparkly nail polish along the beach.
Complete: Score above my goal score on the SAT.
I’d like to bake a cake for whoever designed the March SAT question about Rina Sawayama. Someone clearly knows their queer Asian alt-pop artists.
Complete: Visit three colleges.
As most seniors this year will probably tell you, I visited many more than three.
Complete: Go on a bird walk with my mom.
My mom’s new midlife hobby is birding, and I was happy to indulge her for a bird walk earlier in the year. We didn’t see any particularly notable birds, but she had fun pulling out her Cornell Bird ID app to listen for bird calls.
Complete: Drive ten hours with my dad.
It astounds me how patient my father was with me when teaching me to parallel park. It also astounds me how many times I could let my ears go deaf to his instructions, and subsequently hit the curb.
Complete: Get accepted to a university.
I got my first college acceptance—to my aunt’s alma mater—last November. As any senior can attest, knowing that you’ve received even one acceptance is such an immense relief.
Complete: Get a five on an AP exam.
I suppose lending my Chromebook charger to a peer in need gave me the bit of karma I needed for this one.
Complete: Attend a concert.
Embarrassingly, I can’t remember which concert I attended to cross this one off my list. I’m sure it was wonderful, though.
Incomplete: Get CPR certified.
I really have no excuse for not doing this. I just got lazy. Hopefully, 2026 will be the year I finally learn how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
Complete: Write twenty-five Tattler articles.
I’ve done a fair bit of diverse writing this year, and I’m always happy to contribute to the paper I love so dearly. I’ve covered everything from a Dutch museum heist to local vigils, and I’ve cherished every assignment.
In summary, I was able to cross off eighteen out of twenty-four goals. This coming year, though, I’m hoping to top it. My 2026 bingo card includes some revamped goals from this year—I’m hoping to visit five new cities this year and save another chunk of money for college, among other goals.
Just as I did last year, I’m keeping my bingo card right in the middle of my bulletin board, to remind me each morning that my goals are not too far out of reach.
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