Continuing the tradition from last year, I would like to summarize my year and review the goals I set. As we all know, 2020 was an unprecedented year. If you told me that the ERYMC in January 2020 was going to be my last in-person conference for this year, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

Writing this post now and looking at this photo, it is hard for me to imagine being that close to so many people!

While there are many negative things that came along with the pandemic, the main silver lining for me was that it made me take a step back from the hustle and bustle of my life and take time to think about what I see for my future.

In terms of my 2020 goals, here is where I stand:

• Go meatless at least one day a week. This definitely was harder than I thought. I only accomplished this about 20 weeks and got better at this during the work from home as I became more intentional about what I buy at the grocery store twice a month. On a positive from this goal, I have pretty much eliminated meat from my breakfast options!
• Try out a new recipe at least twice a month. I got to try out a bunch of recipes throughout the year, including making homemade guacamole for the first time as well as several recipes where I could use my Instant Pot. Unfortunately, my yearly averaged closer to once a month than twice, until I started habit stacking. Based on an idea from one of my high school friends I started habit stacking trying our a new recipe that I would eat while I watched the Philadelphia Eagles football game.
• Focus more on my relationships. As the work from home began in Mid-March, this one became both harder and easier! My high school friends and I started meeting semi regularly through video conferencing applications, so although we weren’t hanging out in-person, I was still able to be more active in planning virtual time for us all to chat.
• Earn my ENV SP Certification by the end of 2020. Although I got written permission from my supervisor to take this exam in July, I definitely procrastinated this one, primarily fueled by my fear of failure. The time bound part of this one definitely helped and it motivated me to reach this goal as I finished the modules, passed the exam, and earned my ENV SP in November.
• Do 12 charitable deeds without writing a check. I’ll be honest, I neglected to track this one. While throughout 2020, I did donate money to several causes related to Black Lives Matter I forgot to track those times where it did not involved a monetary contribution. Next time I plan to add this one as a goal, I will be better about tracking it!

There are many things that I didn’t even fathom I would be doing in 2020 that I accomplished including:

• Being a podcast guest (If you haven’t checked that out already, you can watch it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Vugnp0FYxuY)
• Became the chair of The Network in which I lead 17 members from across the company creating engagement and development initiatives
• Adopting our dog Nemo from our local animal rescue
• Becoming the Youngest Drexel Alumni Board of Governors Member to date
• Leading a live STEM outreach panel through ASCE
• Dedicating over 120 hours to student outreach impact (less than last year, but still a success in my book)

Here is to celebrating accomplishments (no matter how small) and focusing on the silver linings that came with 2020 as we start a new year!