So, it’s 2015. Somewhere between listening to people tell each other “how fast time flies” and asking each other what they planned to do on New Year’s Eve, I found myself reminiscing about the past year. Some of my favorite memories here at UT include the fact that we actually got a snow day last winter, the new bridge on Pedestrian that I had been waiting to walk on for two and a half years, and of course, when Neyland Stadium was checkered orange and white.

I will also remember the protest held for Mike Brown that I participated in as my fellow Vols and I blocked the street. I will remember the way I felt when I found out Darren Wilson was not indicted for murder and the eventful letter to the editor that feeling prompted me to write. 2014 was the year I decided I became tired of being complacent.

Did I make the most of 2014? When I look back, will it be the year I will never forget, or the year I can’t wait to forget? Personally, I can say 2014 was decent. I made some strides toward my personal goals, and I miraculously passed all of my classes. I guess you could say I made it. I survived.

Survive. It’s quite an interesting word when you think about it. By definition, the word survive means to continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship. So it’s relative. Survival can mean different things to different people. Here at UT not only are we surviving, but we are changing as well. Two months ago I wrote a letter to the editor calling for a conversation on race and racism here on campus. Since then, I have received multiple emails doing just that. The conversation has started on campus, yet there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

I look forward to continuing the conversation in 2015 and seeing how much of a difference we as students can make on this campus. While I look forward to 2015, I cannot forget those that never made it, those who did not survive, those who were murdered due to the sheer racism and corruption in their society.

You have not died in vain. 2015 is a new year, our year, a chance to dust off old goals and work our hardest to achieve them. This year Inshallah (god willing), I will achieve a goal that my family and I have been looking forward to for a long time: I will become the first person in my family to graduate from college.

I am not just doing it for myself and my family, but for Jordan Davis. I do this for Mike Brown, for Tamir Rice and every other black youth whose life has been cut short because they were born the wrong color.

2015 will be the year we never forget.

Hawa Henderson is a senior in microbiology. She can be reached at [email protected].