As the clock ticked down to the last few seconds of the year, glasses clinked and nostalgia filled the air during a celebration of the new year. Sparks flew in the skies and in the minds of those who chose to set goals for the new year.

Eat healthy, exercise every day, sleep more; the new year is a chance to stop old habits. In the United States, only 8% of people are successful in keeping their resolutions throughout the year. From conducting statistical experiments, researchers have found that younger people tend to complete their resolution more often than people over 50, who may lack willpower.

In the spirit of a fresh start, many Upper School students attempted, and sometimes succeeded, in keeping their New Year’s resolutions. For the last two weeks of January, Harker Aquila documented the journey of two sophomores, Helen Xie and Adele Li, in completing their resolutions. Similar to 47% of people, both Helen and Adele have goals that include self-improvement as opposed to learning new things.

This year, Helen set a goal to eat healthier foods and exercise more often throughout the day. By having meals of fruits and vegetables, Helen did not have many difficulties in keeping her resolution. On the other hand, Adele wanted to maintain a balanced diet only at school. After facing many temptations at school lunches, Adele began to lose hope of fulfilling her resolution.

According to The Examiner, Jan. 17 is considered Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day, when the most resolutions are broken without guilt. While some continue to follow through with their goals after this day, others completely ditched their resolutions and reverted back to their old habits.

Both Helen and Adele fought hard to pass the Jan. 17 benchmark. While facing temptations and moments of doubt, both sophomores remained determined in keeping their goals throughout this month.