From getting fit to getting all A’s, students and visitors at Texas A&M University-San Antonio recently shared their New Year’s resolutions and goals for the semester. Mesquite reporters conducted interviews around campus Jan. 15.
Students strengthen faith, health
By Andrea Rangel and Matthew R. Serna
Communication junior Dee García said she wants to become a better steward in her faith in 2020.
“I’m a Christian,” she said. “I haven’t been going to church as much as I want to, so my New Year’s resolution is to start going to church and to start praying more.”
García said she has started to pray more but has not begun her habit of going to church yet.
She attends Pearl Street Church at the Pearl near downtown San Antonio.
Cheyanna Ramsey said she plans to stay sober and stay away from alcohol.
Ramsey, who recently completed nursing school, was visiting campus this month while her mother attended class.
“My family struggles with alcoholism on my dad’s side so it’s like, let me kind of break the chain for a little bit,” she said in an interview on the second floor of the Central Academic Building.
Ramsey said she discovered she is allergic to beer.
“Another reason why I kept my resolution is because I went into anaphylactic shock.”
Anaphylactic shock is when a person has a severe allergic reaction to things such as foods, insect bites or certain medications, according to WebMD.
“I ended up almost dying that night, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I should try not to drink anymore,’” she said.
Ramsey plans to spend more time with her goddaughter and keep her friends aware that she can be their sober “babysitter” when they are out.
“I’m also just telling my friends, ‘Hey, I’m only drinking water and Red Bull,’” she said.
Students actively pursue fitness goals
By Onassis Figueroa and Amber Mayté Villarreal
Kinesiology junior James Otholt has a New Year’s resolution of getting in better shape and eating healthier.
He plans to go to the university’s gym in the morning before his classes begin and make adjustments to his diet. He enjoys vegetables and burritos.
Otholt also enjoys outdoor activities including biking, hiking, camping and intramural sports such as flag football and soccer.
“I just like being outdoors,” said Otholt, a front desk staff member at the university’s gym.Finance junior Daniella Aldaba said she hopes to be consistently active.
Aldaba joined Gold’s Gym in mid-December to prepare for the challenge.
“I believe I can do anything I set my mind to,” she said. “It is going to take a lot of determination, and I’m going to need motivation.”
Aldaba wants to exercise at least three times per week and include meal prepping as a part of her daily ritual.
“I want to feel like I’m doing something good for myself. This is the perfect chance to start.”
Success through studying
By Ava L. Palacios and Dana Michea Marquez
Computer science junior Leonard Gonzalez said he has never been a bad student but wants to keep improving.
That means “keeping up with assignments, planning, balancing work and school better,” he said in an interview in a STEM study room.
Gonzalez wants to improve his grades from B- and B+ to A’s to help him in his future career as a coder.
“I think this will help me with job assignments and planning,” Gonzalez said.
Biology sophomore Esmeralda Solis said she will be the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree and become an orthopedic doctor.
To help reach that goal, she plans to get A’s this semester.
Solis said a personal experience inspired her interest in studying medicine.
“I had a small accident and I really like what they did,” she said of an orthopedic surgeon who treated her at Brooke Army Medical Center. “I was riding an ATV. Somehow, one of the parts on it got loose or wasn’t put on right. The part cut my left inner bottom part of my calf.”
The doctor at BAMC not only stitched her up; he also sparked her desire to pursue an M.D.
“He explained why he wanted to be an orthopedic doctor,” Solis said. “He talked to me about his schooling and how he practiced. I took an interest in it. Also, I had many visits with the doctor for about two and a half to three months.”
Student believes in year-round improvement
By Hannah Richards
Education senior Roxanne Saunders strives to be a year-round go-getter.
She said she doesn’t believe in New Year’s resolutions but believes self-improvement is something people should focus on no matter the time of year.
“I don’t do New Year’s resolutions because they’re normally just a Band-Aid,” Saunders said during an interview in the Central Academic Building. “I always try to set goals that are attainable and will have an outcome when I’m done.”
Saunders has tried New Year’s resolutions, but noticed they never got her to where she wanted to be.
“I used to do New Year’s resolutions with dieting, but it was more like yo-yo dieting. I didn’t want that for myself anymore,” she said.
