On January 28th, 2021, after a very long year of losing jobs, moving from my home in New York, a massive reckoning with the white supremacist foundations of this country, and a little pandemic (thrown in just for fun), I turned 25. January 28th also roughly marked the twelve-week anniversary of my employment at REACH, so it really was a day to celebrate. These twelve weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, and I’m still not exactly sure what you’d call my role - communications associate? Production assistant? Confidant? Pro note-taker? Class clown? Whatever the position, it’s been fantastic.

As Sarah, Amy, and I brainstormed ideas for New Years Resolutions - for REACH, ourselves, the world - Sarah voiced the unthinkable: she doesn’t do resolutions on the start of the calendar year, but on her birthday. And so, I thought, as I shamelessly stole her idea from under her, what better way to introduce myself on the REACH blog than to take readers through my own resolutions for my year of being 25?

First and foremost, I vow to spend more time outside. As a lifelong, proud city kid (I was born 45 minutes outside Tokyo - does that count?), I like people-watching, incredible food, and being able to make an entire world out of 400 square feet. I don’t like pigeons or hot garbage smell, but other than that, I’d stay in a studio apartment over an Indian restaurant in Manhattan for the rest of my life if I could (and I did, for two years). But after moving into an apartment that has far more space than I know what to do with, I’m itching to be outside. Go figure. And so, every weekend, I vow to strap on my roller skates and fall on my face every five minutes in Golden Gate Park. It won’t be pretty, but nothing beats fresh air scented with eucalyptus.

Second, I will continue to make more clothing than I can physically wear in a year. I majored in costume design at NYU (it’s a very long story of how I got here), and though I realized very quickly that I could never make a profession out of the sheer expanse of textile waste that goes into the design industry, I picked up some serious skills. While I’m 25, I want to finish the collection I started of clothing made entirely out of used or recycled materials (I just have the pajamas and a bag to go) and maybe even start designing my own knitting patterns. Who knows? 25 is ripe with possibility.

Third, I want to spend as much time with my parents as I possibly can. After living in New York for almost six years, I never realized how much I appreciated my time with them until March 2020, when it was too dangerous to get on a plane for a visit. I miss New York, but being able to walk the 5-minute journey up the street from my apartment to my parents’ house for dinner is worth it. They’re nice people. I’ve missed them.

Fourth and final, I’d like to become absolutely indispensable at REACH. I have had a whole host of jobs in my 25 years (from being a shopper for Al Pacino in that one TV show he was in to evaluating manuscripts for a production company), but none of them have made me feel this fulfilled. For almost twelve weeks, I have woken up early with a spring in my step, ready to change into my Work Pajamas and start the day. No, really, I’m serious. The team is wonderful, the work keeps me on my toes, and I really do feel that we are doing our part to make this world greener, safer, and much smarter. They’re going to have a hard time getting rid of me.

So here’s to me being 25, the world being a little older and wiser, and the future being a bit brighter. Happy New Year!