Back in September, several Choate students were interviewed about their goals for this year. However, this year brought challenges that nobody could have foreseen, making fulfilling their bucket list goals challenging. Nonetheless, students have tried their best to follow through with their plans. Here’s how they did:
Bruce Dubel ’22 said, “This year, I have three goals. One: Learn to ride a unicycle. Two: Solve a Rubik’s cube in under ten seconds. Three: Build my own PC.”
“I managed to accomplish goals one and three, but I’m still 0.76 seconds shy of goal two.”
Noah McBride ’23 said, “Make it to 2021. I want to finish a couple chapters of my book. With so much time on my hands, it’s probably the best time for me to work.”
“Over the course of this year, I’m glad to say I’ve at least completed two of my three goals. While 2020 and 2021 have had their ups and downs, I’ve still managed to have so much fun and spend as much time as I was able to with family and friends (of course, six-feet apart). While I didn’t get to work on my book some more, I was able to work on poetry which has been an amazing way to reflect on my emotions and has helped me process different things.”
Shawn Yang ’24 said, “Three goals I have for this year are to work on my time management and procrastination, not stress myself out too much, and to focus on my mental health more.”
“Although I am still a procrastinator and still do have trouble managing my time, I think that I’ve improved a lot and will continue to improve in the future. As for stress, I put myself under a lot of pressure this school year, so I did not exactly meet my goal, but that is something I am striving for next year. I did improve my mental health quite a bit this year, which is something I am very proud of.”
Celine Pirard ’21 said, “Ride my knee scooter down the steepest hill on campus. Go on a spur-of-the-moment long weekend trip to NYC (like totally unplanned — I just go). Watch the stars from the science center roof.”
“I accomplished only some of my bucket list goals because of this year’s limitations. I did, however, cross lots of things off, like riding my knee scooter and stargazing from … let’s say a high-up place. I also had adventures this spring that I never could have imagined when making my list, many of which were equally if not more meaningful.”
Reagan Bajus ’22 said, “Stargaze on the PMAC roof. Eat everything on the menu at Half Moon. Take a polar plunge in the waterfall.”
“Because of Covid-19, I wasn’t able to complete any of these. I hope to by the time I graduate! I definitely want to go onto the PMAC roof at least once. And if that breaks a school rule … I never said any of this. Shhh.”
Matthew Syms ’21 said,“I’d like to ring the chapel bells, visit the School’s archives and see the oldest records, walk to the KEC, swim at the waterfall, write an article for The Choate News, and participate in someone’s Last Hurrah ask.”
“I have had the opportunity to swim at the waterfall and participate in someone’s LH proposal. Maybe this weekend I’ll try to walk to the KEC!”
Cassatt Boatwright ’24 said, “I’m really going to work on going to bed earlier, as I definitely do not sleep enough. Also, I plan to organize my belongings better to improve time management. I want to try and finish a book every week or two this year, improve my drawing skills, and try out for volleyball.”
“My time management has definitely improved and I go to sleep at a reasonable hour. Volleyball was a blast in the fall, and my drawing skills have gotten better after taking a class here. Although I was too busy to read as much as I hoped, I’m happy with how I’ve changed this year!”
Joy An ’23 said, “My goals for this year are to branch out and try different kinds of dance, meet some of the new students, and make the most of all my classes. I’m also going to try not to let the whole pandemic get me down.”
“I tried out both jazz and hip hop this year, which were very rewarding experiences despite being limited by being remote during the winter. I also met some really wonderful folks from the freshman class!”
Claire Fu ’22 said, “My goal is to be that one person who can walk past any tree or plant and be able to state the Latin name of the species without giving it so much as a second thought.”
“I haven’t gotten to Latin names, unfortunately, but I can pretty comfortably say that I recognize most of the common names of trees on campus! I do find that because the Choate campus has so many non-native trees that were imported and planted just for aesthetic purposes, it’s not as easy to name them compared to naming the ones in the KEC forest, which contain mostly native or common invasive tree species.”
Zoe Tray ’21 said, “I’d like to build a snowman with my friends on Mem field! I’ve never been able to do that. Bake and decorate cookies in the St. John Hall Kitchen with friends. Find the supposed dark room that exists somewhere on campus to develop photos. Go stargazing with the astronomy club and see planets with the telescope.”
“I didn’t do any of that, lol.”
Quotations have been lightly edited for clarity.
