As the New Year approaches, we leave behind the trials and the heartaches of 2011. It has been both a winning and a difficult time for our nation. Among the many highlights of 2011, we, among a handful of countries, have grown our economy despite the recession affecting the US and Europe. We experienced the birth of the seven billionth baby, with all the promise and challenges that event brought.
The resumption of peace talks between the government and the MILF and the CPP-NDF. The recent typhoon “Sendong” that took over a thousand lives and left over a thousand missing in Northern Mindanao, making it the worst storm to hit the globe in 2011.
A new year is a gift—to make amends to the people we’ve hurt, to start afresh and to inspire hope among those who may seem lost. May we all remember that we should not only look forward to the coming year for our own sake, but we need to make each day count for the people around us. Here are several students who share their resolutions, prayers and fervent hopes for 2012.
“I pray for people not to be greedy and self-centered. In our worldly pursuits, I wish for people to look beyond, to see the bigger picture and to recognize that what they do affects the 
people around them. Typhoon Sendong caused so much damage. Illegal logging is one of the reasons flash floods were powerful in the affected areas. I wish for people to take responsibility for their actions. I hope that this event will not be forgotten, but will serve as a reminder of what needs to be done.
With dignity
“I hope the victims of typhoon Sendong will have closure and live a better life than what they have right now. I hope they will be reunited with everyone they have lost, or at least will have the chance to bury their dead loved ones with dignity. I hope Filipinos will continue to stand strong and united. I wish for the best for this country and the world.”—Hitesh Dhanwani, Ateneo de Davao
“My resolutions for next year: I will go online only if I really have to: to research and to do academic-related activities. I will widen my music range and listen to one French song a week. I plan to live a healthier lifestyle and jog around campus. Most importantly, I will pursue what makes me happy and do away with the rest.”—Zenna Dumaguing, UP Diliman
“May God grant strength to those affected by the recent calamity. May He bless those hands that extended their efforts in helping the people of CDO, Iligan and Dumaguete. May the New Year bring unity among Filipinos. May this unity continue to show through the coming years. May everyone help one another, despite differences in culture, belief and status. All for God’s greater glory.”—Elijah Fuentes, Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro
“I really look forward with anticipation in creating new moments and new memories with the people from the past, those in the present and the ones I have yet to meet. I also want to look at the world from a new perspective and to find ways to put a little of myself in it. I will challenge myself to make someone smile every single day. It’s one of the smallest yet most generous things I can do, since I can only give something of myself with sincerity. I will treasure not just the first and the last days of the year, but most importantly, the days in between.”—Nikki Yambao, UST
“I wish to learn what is really important to me. I want to live out an adage from the book ‘The Little Prince’—to be able to give importance to the little things that sometimes may seem invisible to the eye. I also want to push myself to the limit and expand my business and diversify the products I sell. I will try my best to be more patient, nicer and kinder to people, even to those I just met.”—Jerald Sze, Ateneo de Manila University
