Chapter Twenty One: Written by Daniel Hoddinott

Name: Daniel Hoddinott
Age: 27
Identifies as: Asian-American
Occupation: Student Affairs Professional at Cornell
Location: Connecticut

As all of the stories mentioned, 2020 was an extremely challenging, emotional, and unique year. From an individualistic point of view, my year was filled with lots of positive and long-lasting memories. From getting engaged, paying off my loans, spending lots of time with family, and seeing all of the racial injustice and medical heroes every day, I feel more inspired and excited to see what 2021 has in store for me.

Michael Bucceri mentioned how grateful he is for the people in his life. As people, we have been conditioned to want things that we actually do not need. The continuous murders of BIPOC by police and the high number of COVID-19 related deaths has made me much more appreciative of everything that I have in my life and to be less passive.

As 2021 starts where 2020 ended, I am hopeful that things will turn around sooner than later. I am hopeful that transformational change will happen in all systems of society. If there is one universal takeaway from 2020, it is that we need to appreciate what we have because so many people have lost so much.