It has been one year since the first lockdown and the past year has been difficult for everybody. It is easy to remember the dark times rather than the light, times we were sad rather than joyful. But in these times, it is important to be reminded of how far we have come since March 2020 and look towards the future and share our hopes of what could be coming next as the world hopefully returns to some ‘normality’ soon. In an attempt to share these aspirations and goals for the next year, we asked our contributors: ‘Where do you think you will be, or what do you want to be doing, one year from now?’
“This time next year, I hope to have graduated from my MSc, completed my NCTJ training, and have started some wonderful job as a full-time local news reporter. I hope to have moved from my small flat into a house with my boyfriend which we can fill with books, silly little ornaments that I like to collect, and own cats. I also hope to be able to see my friends and family and do everything I thought I would have done in 2020 and 2021 like go travelling for a little bit and have some fun. ” Shawna Healey
“This time next year I will be in my last year of university, stressed beyond belief no doubt. However, I would like to have accomplished a few things in that time. I would like to have completed two internships, bought myself the new car I have been wanting for over a year, and hopefully be looking at graduate jobs. I would like to have plans to celebrate the end of my third year, hopefully with a nice long holiday planned to somewhere hot and sunny where I can relax.” Anna Dugdale
“I was unfortunate enough to catch Covid-19 and I did have some nasty consequences. My hope is that this time next year, I will have all the energy I had pre-pandemic and I will have given Long Covid the cold shoulder! Fingers crossed the skills I have developed during the lockdown will translate into full-time work. On a lighter note, I also hope I will have finally had the opportunity to tie the knot with my fiancé Alex as we have now cancelled our wedding numerous times because of the pandemic. Third time’s the charm!” April Ryan
“One year from now I hope to have gained some in-person journo work experience. I am very lucky to have found a job that sort of encompasses media and writing in the first lockdown, however, my office is a wellbeing and education service for young people so media-related activities are not my sole day-to-day tasks. I also hope to have graduated from my MA and grown a lot more confident in freelancing. This time last year, I had never submitted an article to a publication or worked in journalism before, but between editing for Empoword and my student magazine, and broadcasting for my local radio station, I have come so far. When I think of the pandemic, I think of feeling extremely lost and on the wrong path as I struggled to see how taking a year out from networking in person could do any good for someone starting off in journalism, but I’m feeling a lot more positive now.” Caitlin Parr
“A year on from now I hope to be completely and utterly regretting every moment I complained of being ‘so bored’ on my gap year as I drown in lecture notes and essays and wonderful, terrible academics. But in all seriousness, this past year has given me so much perspective on my life and my goals and I hope to be writing, editing, and hopefully still podcasting with my Opinion gals! (Shoutout to Empoword Opinions Podcast go check it out if you haven’t already!). If I’ve learnt anything, it’s that time is a social construct and opportunities are random and pots of gold, so hopefully I’m taking every single one I can get! (Also, I’d love to get radio presenting experience – manifesting that for myself!)” Aarthee Pari
“If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught me, it’s that you never know what’s around the corner. So I’m hesitant to draw too clear a picture of this time next year. Instead, I’m now welcoming the unexpected and focusing on what I can control. By next year, I hope to have moved back out of my parents’, be living in a new city, and (Covid permitting) be surrounded by friends once again. Continuing the mindfulness and exercise habits that I’ve been able to establish during lockdown, I aim at the very least to be calmer, happier and stronger.” Emma Line
“Although I still very much feel like a twelve-year-old mentally, this time next year I’ll be in my first year of university and (with any luck) Covid restrictions will be a thing of the past. I hope that I am giving myself some time to relax in amongst the hectic nature of university life and I hope that I have regained my love for academics (because Covid has stolen that somewhat, unfortunately). Most of all though, I hope I’m content with where I am.” Eva Bailey
“I hope in a year from now I’ve been able to meet the friends I made in 2020 in person. I also hope that I’ll be able to do in-person lectures at university and have a more normal university experience. I think what I really want is for us to have learned something from 2020 and keep the lessons from lockdown. We’ve learned a lot more about kindness, compassion, and what is really important. I hope we bring that with us in the years to come.” Orla McAndrew
“I don’t have any plans for a year’s time: the only plan I have is to be happy. This past year has taught us all so much and for me, I have learned so much about myself and the importance of good mental health that I am no longer driven towards achieving a high-flying career in a bustling city. What I want more than anything is to be surrounded by my friends and my family, and count my blessings.” Madeleine Raine
Featured image courtesy of S O C I A L . C U T via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.
First image featured in this article is courtesy of Pang Yuhao via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.
Second image featured in this article is courtesy of Antonino Visalli via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.
Third image featured in this article is courtesy of Cristian Escobar via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.