With 2017 ending and 2018 welcoming us with open arms, we look back at all the memories 2017 have given us.

We are thankful for the lessons we learnt that allowed us to value, respect, and adore ourselves in every form- mentally and physically. Life at Skyline University College, an educational institute in Sharjah and one of the accredited universities in UAE, has been an amalgamation of fun, experiences and achievements. Memories from 2017 that deserve an honorable mention include the Appreciation Day, Life lessons outside of the classroom, getting published in Newsline and meeting friends like family.

Skyline University College, as I would say, one of best universities in UAE, celebrates Appreciation Day annually for students who worked hard all year round and performed very well in academics and extracurricular activities. As a transfer student who has put in effort the previous year, appreciation was a must for me too. Appreciation is the motivation every human being needs to keep moving forward in life. We were all so excited to be receiving the Dean's list certificates and celebrating it with all our friends. It was a day full of genuine laughs and pure happiness. The endless assignments, the last-minute quizzes and exam preparations, and the hard work towards numerous events have finally paid off. The highlight of the event was when my best friend, who told me she wouldn't be able to make it, surprised me just in time. Thank you 2017 for friends like family, who are there in times of bliss as well as sorrow.

As a student that had never studied Economics before, Dr. Wilson Gachiri and his classes got me really interested in the world of Economics and was always helpful when I needed to clear doubts or needed any extra help in understanding crucial concepts. Apart from being a great professor, Dr. Wilson is always giving us students life lessons outside of class. He taught my friends and I about how everyone has different perspectives in life by using an example from a book called 7 Effective Habits of Effective People by Stephen Covey. Small life lessons like these, I feel, are ones that will stay with us for a very long time. "What you see depends not only on what you look at, but also, on where you look from" – James Deacon.

As someone who's an avid book reader and writes book reviews as a content creator, the feeling of seeing your work in a magazine gives a whole other feeling of pride. This was the first time my reviews were published anywhere and seeing the recognition that Skyline University College's annually published magazine, Newsline, has given me is something that I feel has made my 2017. My friends and I put in a lot of effort to make it memorable and being able to hold a physical copy of a magazine that holds your work within its pages, makes me want to go up to everyone and say "Hi! You don't know me but my articles were just published in this magazine! Have you seen it?" just because I'm over the moon about it! I hope to have many more publications that have my creations in it as memories I'll always be thankful for and always cherish when I graduate in a year and look back at all my achievements.

Lastly, the past year introduced me to so many different people and I developed friendships with such genuine human beings that I cannot thank 2017 enough for. Without a doubt these friends would irritate me, be ridiculously stupid and laugh at me but at the same time they would laugh with me. Endless hangouts outside on the benches and pushing each other to study for exams, sharing Chicken Manchurian and Butter Chicken in the canteen and spending as much time as we can together are all memories we will forever cherish. They're probably reading this, I'm sure. Please don't feel extra special, you guys! 2017 was too generous on you!