As we are about a month into the New Year, some may be questioning, “what’s next?” This year has been deemed by The Guardian news site, “the year of green thinking” and “the year to end discrimination”. The focuses of this year, with the presidential election coming up, will most likely be politics and cultural change in the United States. In an interview with one of Coronado’s social studies teachers, Mr. Thomas, we discussed some of the changes that may be approaching as the year moves on.

“I can see us, as a society, becoming more divided because we are so set in our ways and what we believe. I think the election, which is an ever changing process, will be very interesting to watch. Some candidates have viewpoints that are actually bringing groups of people closer together because their opinions are so radically one-sided,” said Mr. Thomas.

Many people in the U.S. are looking forward to the outcome of the presidential election. The current frontrunners for the election, as of now, are Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. However, in many past elections, the early frontrunners do not necessarily end up winning the nomination for their party. Though, with any of these candidates winning, big changes can be expected politically and socially.

Nevertheless, in 2016 we can count on advancements in technology and social structure.

“I would love to see advancements in the way humans interact with the technology. Also, with our social structure, I see people moving more away from labels. Though we may be dividing, people are becoming more okay with just letting a person be a person,” said Mr. Thomas.

In 2015, we witnessed many changes in the level of acceptance with multiple controversial issues, such as the legalization of gay marriage. Many are hoping that we can keep the same level of courtesy while still striving to break down societal barriers. For instance, the term “female athlete” has been petitioned to be changed to just, “athlete.”

“I personally hope that empathy becomes a main focus for people in 2016. I would like to see people being more empathetic of each other. I think that lately people have stopped caring about the long term effects of their actions. It would be great if people chose empathy over apathy,” said Mr. Thomas.

Even though there are many innovations to be expected in 2016, one of the only things we can do to prepare is to expect the unexpected.