Quad Questions: What was the worst thing that happened in 2016?

With 2017 right around the corner, it’s about that time when we all start to reflect on the past year and set New Year’s resolutions for ourselves that we will assuredly forget all about when week one starts. But this year seems different. I speak for everyone when I say 2016 could not end fast enough. Seriously – screw you, 2016.

This year was definitely one for the books – the same way a night with one, or six, too many shots of tequila is. Just when you thought life couldn’t possibly get any worse, it did. Events went from tolerably terrible to catastrophic. Terrorists and breakups and Harambe, oh my! Besides the big, orange, politically incorrect elephant in the room, what made this year such a bummer exactly? Here are some opinions on what made 2016 a lousy year – in addition to the disappointing election results.

“The UCLA shooting.”
– Cody Chan, fourth-year business economics student

“The Orlando shooting.”
– Lincoln Nguyen, fourth-year biochemistry student

“The crisis in Aleppo.”
– Gisela Torres, second-year biology student

“The deaths of David Bowie and Prince.”
– Jackie Ortiz, second-year anthropology student

“People who claim to be Christians on Bruin Walk but were saying false things about the religion.”
– Telvi Marroquin, third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student

“The Cleveland Browns’ season.”
– Bryant Montoya, fourth-year sociology student

“Kobe Bryant retiring.”
– Adam Villalpando, fourth-year English student

“My grades this quarter.”
– Nia Wahl, fourth-year political science student

“I would have to say the continuation of the refugee crisis. Although, honestly, the worst thing was definitely the election.”
– Guntas Padda, second-year psychobiology student

Lest we forget about Brexit, the Zika virus, an unreasonable amount of police brutality and Ryan Lochte – both his hair and that whole Rio debacle, I’m here to remind you that yes, those things happened this year too. Whether the event was worldwide or on campus, large-scale or small, the effects of 2016 on all of us were anything but trivial. Here’s to saying goodbye to an exceptionally bad year and a fresh start in 2017. Let’s hope 2017 will throw us a bone.