A REAL 2026 Rebrand🖤.

Hello UIC Radio!!! Welcome to my first blog of the new semester, but most importantly happy New Year! As I'm sure we've all seen, there is a lot of hype around this "2026 Rebrand" and I am absolutely here for it. I've always loved New Years and I think it's the perfect time to improve ourselves inwardly as well as outwardly. With that being said, to be able to truly "rebrand" ourselves in this new year, I think it is important to look back on 2025 and recognize areas in our lives that we want to change, as well as areas that we should take with us into the new year. Since this is my blog, today I will be talking about some of the lessons that I've learned throughout 2025 and what I will/will not be taking with me into 2026.

1. Eating Clean, Whole Food Meals

As someone who used to function off of eating at most 2 meals a day, this transition was a bit hard. I realized though, that it is very important to fuel your body in order for it to perform the way that we want it to. As my mom always says, "You can't get gains if you don't eat". This has challenged me to meal prep more, making sure the meals that I eat are not only healthy, but filling.

2. Be Positive

This is something I am actively still working on lol. I wouldn't call myself a pessimist, but I am definitely by no means an optimist. In this new year I want to be able to see the bright side in life and not only just what could go wrong.

3. "Overdressed" is a State of Mind

In 2026 I don't want to feel as if I have to "dress down" or fear being "overdressed". If I think an outfit is cute and I want to wear it out, I'm going to wear it without feeling embarrassed that nobody else is as dressed up as I am. Who cares? Opinions fade but drip lasts forever.

4. HOBBIES!

I want to learn a couple new hobbies. As a kid I used to be a hobby MASTER. I did ice skating, painting, cross stitching, gymnastics, piano, and many more miscellaneous hobbies. I'm very happy that I had the chance to learn all of these things because I still know how to do a little bit of each of my old hobbies, but I want a fun hobby that sticks. In addition, having a hobby will occupy my time more which can help lower my screen time which is always good.

These are just of few of the notable differences I want to see in my life during 2026. I like to keep my goals attainable so that it is easier to keep myself accountable. The main purpose of the "2026 Rebrand" isn't just to change our aesthetic, it is for us to improve long term. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has in store, and I hope that everybody had an amazing New Years and continues to have an even better rest of the year!

~ Side Note xoxo