For many, 2023 was one of the best years of their life! Both in and outside of Doherty, it seems many students have taken to a good year. This puts plenty of reliance on this new year to follow through as well. For several people, the way this will work will be through the means of self improvement.

From better grades to getting to college, there are always going to be things we wish to set out to do in the coming year or beyond. For this article, we shall focus on what students could have done better in 2023, and how this will positively affect the new year.

Students are more aware of their shortcomings than some older peers may give them credit for. This is a great thing because it allows them to mature quickly and remain observant about what is and isn’t working. This article will provide such cases as examples, so students can either reflect themselves, or allow potential students who are reading to do the same.

Adrianna Crnich, a senior at Doherty, has plans of her own: “I definitely plan on challenging myself more. I think I played it too safe with my academics and extracurriculars, and in comparison I’m definitely working a lot harder to push my limits more.”

This goal is certainly daring, yet totally achievable. It is something that hopefully all students plan to accomplish this upcoming year, as pushing our minds to their peak capacities will prove excellent. Plenty of student minds are brilliant and no year would be better than this one to take advantage of that! 

“All in all, it has been tough but rewarding,” Crnich follows.

In addition, fellow student David Mindykowski has an important goal himself regarding grades: “I definitely could have done better in my classes and it’ll affect my 2024 by having less credits than I should.”

Sometimes, it is important to admit shortcomings to work on them with the added awareness. Failure is the best teacher, after all. This should be a wakeup call for students experiencing such problems to work on them in 2024. It is never too late to excel, even if it feels like it may be!

All in all, the idea of reflecting on last year can be a never ending conversation. These ideas are intended to spark the mind, so you, the reader, can reflect in a similar fashion. Happy 2024, Doherty Spartans!