After a long year filled with jaw-dropping events and unforgettable memories, it’s now time to ring in 2022. In honor of New Year’s, the theme of our January edition of The Beacon Magazine is New year, new you. The cover, inspired by vision boards, reflects the visual goal setting and planning one might do to inspire change within themselves.  We extend a very special thanks to the Iwasaki Library for donating their extra magazines to create the cover of this edition. 

New year’s resolutions encourage people to be the bolder version of themselves; taking risks, trying new things, and discovering the person they want to become. Vivi Smilgius writes about how life is too short to waste time on self-doubt, making the new year the perfect time for self-reinvention. 

On the other hand, while self-reinvention is desired by many this time of year, New Year’s resolutions statistically tend to fail: but why? Shannon Garrido analyzes the psychology behind New Year’s resolutions and whether or not they set one up for failure. Or are they an excuse for corporations to sell quick fixes and supplements? 

New Year’s resolutions, specifically ones regarding health and weight loss, tend to be among the most popular goals. And with advertisements on dieting and working out flooding the media that we consume, Rachel Hackman writes about the dangers of diet culture and the toxicity around it. 

After the wild year that was 2021, our cover story, written by Dionna Santucci, recaps all the moments that defined the past year, and the ones you may have forgotten. 

I want to extend a special thanks to Lucia Thorne, Kayla Buck, Vivi Smilgius, Shannon Garrido, Rachel Hackman, Dionna Santucci, and Kaitlyn Fehr. This edition could not have been completed without all of your hard work and dedication. 

I hope this edition inspires you to not procrastinate your goals for 2022, face your fears, take risks, and become the person you want to be. 

As cheesy as it sounds, I wish you all the very best this year and I hope you enjoy this edition of The Beacon Magazine. 

To fresh beginnings,