New years, new goals
January 29, 2018
A new year calls for a new you, and although change might be welcome, it requires hard work. While most students simply cross their fingers and wish for better grades, some Diamond Bar High School students and teachers strive to improve themselves, not just in academics, such as junior Chloe Huang, sophomores Jonathan Tan and Ricky Kuo and European history teacher Emily Clark.
Among the students, Huang hopes to write more frequently for her blog, “The Life of an Average Teen Girl.” From its inception at the start of her junior year, Huang posts about fashion, organization and her life as an average teen girl.
Huang first created her blog as a way to relieve her stress. However, as she continued writing, she realized that her motivation for writing had changed into enjoyment, and she wanted to connect with others who also have a blog.
“This resolution is important to me because I feel that this blog may not end up…just as a hobby,” Huang said via Facebook. “But perhaps…lead to something bigger, maybe create a career path for me.”
Meanwhile, Tan aims to find time for athletic challenges and exercising in hopes that he could one day perform more advanced calisthenic movements, such as a planche or a front lever.
“When I first saw a person at my church do a planche, I thought, ‘I want to do that!’” Tan said.
Clark wants to focus on keeping healthy in the new year by limiting added sugar in her diet and eliminating processed foods.
“I want to eliminate processed foods because I love to cook, but I don’t make the time to do so,” Clark said. “If I get rid of packaged, processed foods, it will force me to do more of something I love.”
In order to stick to this resolution, Clark regularly orders a farm delivery box from Imperfect Produce, a company that delivers “ugly” produce for cheaper prices, and she plans meals and snacks around that.
Meanwhile, Kuo aspires to become a popular SoundCloud rapper.
“I love music, and I want to be able to express my feelings without writing a book or talking to someone, but through music,” Kuo said.
Not only is he willing to put his hard work on a platform for the world to see, but he also isn’t afraid to face the criticism ahead.
“I feel great whenever my friends are supporting me, so I feel like a bad comment or two won’t hurt as bad. It helps me improve,” Kuo said.
Kuo plans to produce songs and lyrics with other artists throughout the year with his friends and hopes to be more involved with the music industry.
