2017 was, in a word, tumultuous — particularly for those of us at UC Berkeley, where campuswide events such as the protests surrounding Milo Yiannopoulos’ campus appearance and “Free Speech Week” seized the attention of the school. As we picked up the pieces from a 2016 marked by an earth-shattering election, we found ourselves rebuilding — creating space for voices where there previously was none, seeking change where it had not yet been sought and fighting for what we believed in, as it perhaps mattered now more than ever.

We saw the exposure of widespread sexual misconduct allegations among school faculty members as well as the closures of Berkeley’s favorite small businesses and the unification of local artists against intolerance. We saw students grapple with the life-altering impacts of natural disasters, and we saw the ushering in of new leaders, from a new chancellor to a new football head coach.  

But now the year comes to an end, and its moments of upheaval settle and cement themselves into the fabric of our history. It is during this time that we should reflect and imagine how the pieces of ourselves — those gained and lost — will impact us in the coming year and beyond.