A Short Recap of 2022

The year 2022 is days over and while it is now time to fully embrace 2023, I think it's positive to reflect on everything that happened the past year. As high school students, we often feel overwhelmed with work and can even feel as if time literally flies and moves at a rapid rate. We are so busy with work and other activities that we often don't pay attention to what is happening around us and in the world as a whole. As a student myself, I personally feel as if 2022 was a year mixed with experiences, hard times, unique insights, and human advancements. As members of society at large, I think it should be in our own willpower to reflect on the year the world has had to determine whether we’ve advanced or generally declined as a species.

Before I go further, I must express that my own interpretations of last year are biased, and perspectives vary depending on the unique experiences of a person.

If I had to describe the beginnings of 2022 in one word, it would probably be unexpected. Here at AST, we got back to in-person learning for the first time in nearly two years. Europe began facing its first massive war in years, after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Inflation rates also went up during these times, leading to general resentment from many and stressful financial times. There was also great political controversy. In the US, specifically, many were reeling from a potential overturning of Roe v. Wade (it would, in fact, be overturned in June) while still dealing with the aftermath of a dramatic 2020 election and other issues like police brutality and a widespread reckoning with systemic racism. At this moment in time, 2022 was looking like a tumultuous year, and I remember that it certainly did frighten me at first. Fortunately, things eventually started to feel better...

Although the pandemic was still serious, cases started to lower globally by the middle of 2022. Moreover, very prominent advancements in cancer and Alzheimer's research were made. Not to mention, an AI system was also able to solve one of the most complex problems in all of biology. Although AI systems are definitely growing and showing improvement, this is starting to remind me of the Terminator movies a bit. Advancements in the medical field were indeed very present and were very significant, which is important for our long-term health and well-being.

Summer brought the hottest heat-waves ever recorded in the US as well as disappointment when it was announced that the World Cup would be moved down to December. Also, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship against my own Boston Celtics and Real Madrid won the Champions League. The effects of climate change were definitely persistent during this year and this should act as a notice for us to bring about change or alter the way we think about the world’s sustainability.

All in all, 2022 was certainly tumultuous, but I’m thankful for the good things. As we move into 2023, I’d encourage everyone to try to focus on thankfulness as well.