2016 Reflection

This is one of my top photos of 2016 because it was shot at a rally for the presidential election, which was a major topic throughout the year. This picture really captures how some citizens felt so strongly about candidate Donald Trump and how passionate people are about the future of our country. As americans we are so privileged to have the things we do and to have the right to express ourselves. Many americans, as shown in the picture, are very determined and ambitious and this picture captures it.


This is one of my top photos of 2016 because this year people all over the world made such huge advancements in accepting and equalizing the LQBT community. People are becoming more and more open to the community and it is really cool to see how much progress has been made in equality compared to years past. This photo is also pretty comical seeing the old woman's reaction to the drag queen.


This is one of my top photos of 2016 because it is such a powerful and impressive shot of a riot. There were many protests this year about things such as racial and sexual equality, politics, safety, and many other things. This moment was captured so perfectly in time.


This is one of my top photos of 2016 because something about it draws me in and tugs on the heart strings. Every time I was on a new website looking at photos for the assignment I kept going back to this one. It's astounding to see the effects of violence on such an innocent kid. No matter how much improvement has been made this year in our world's social, economical, or political statuses, it can't outweigh the effects of tragedies such as the one caught in this picture.

There were so many amazing new albums and songs and even new artists popping up constantly this year. Being such a music enthusiast it's hard to pick just one, but because Mr. Reeve's is making me I would say my top song of 2016 would be Firestone by Kygo, released on May 13, 2016. This is my pick because it brings me back to such a genuinely happy event in my life. It is such a beautifully written song full of metaphors about love. And what I love about it is that it is such a subtly powerful song and the lyrics don't have to represent a romance between two lovers, but it can be about a passionate friendship or relationship with a family member. When I heard this song played live at Kygo's set at ACL this year, words cannot describe the mass amount of emotions that flooded me. This song is so strongly connected to my life from the past year in a positive in nostalgic way and that's why it's my top song of 2016.

My top movie of 2016 was by far a movie called Sing Street. I found this movie when I was scrolling through the 'recently added' selection on Netflix, and hitting play was probably one of the best decisions of my life. The movie was released in the United States on April 15. It's about an Irish school boy who puts together a band to make friends at his new school, express his love for music, and ultimately win over a girl. Even though I didn't discover it until November, I have already seen it a number of times and have the (inspiring, beautiful, incredible, catchy, and 80's style) soundtrack memorized. This movie has made it into my top 3 and I don't see it dropping out anytime soon.

I think the top news stories this year were the many acts of terrosism throughout the world. The one I chose specifically was the Orlando shooting at the nightclub. This was my top pick because it was the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States. It really drew attention and support to not only those individuals and their families, but also to the entire LGBT community. There has been so many violent actions made based on mere hatred and disrespect and it's so sad to see how many people are affected so harshly by it, even with how advanced we are compared to the rest of the world.

I think the most important person of 2016 was Hillary Clinton. She had such a positive impact on so much of the population. Clinton was the first woman to be elected as the primary candidate in a US political party. She showed constant hard work and determination throughout the presidential race and all with a smile on her face. By winning the popular vote, but losing the overall election, so much controversy and protesting began.

I think the biggest entertainment story of 2016 was Leo finally getting his Oscar! He definitely deserved it and I don't know a single person who is upset that he finally got his recognition.

One thing I did on my holiday break that I will remember was taking our biannual trip to Big Bend National Park over New Years. We spend every other year with my dad on New Years and for as long as I can remember we have been going down to Big Bend for a week of hiking and photography and family time away from the chaos of the holidays in the city. This year, my best friend/cousin from New York who I usually see once a year came down for a week and came with us on our trip.

Some of my resolutions for this year are to be more patient, organize and manage my time better, spend more time with my family, and save money.

This year I am beyond excited about going to New York City for the first time. I have wanted to go for such a long time and this summer I am lucky enough to go twice. I am going once with the Starlight Theatre Co. and once with my family. Another thing I am looking forward to this year is the amount of amazing concerts I will get to go to. And last but not least I am getting my driver's license at the end of January.