2024 was monumental. I graduated summa cum laude with 2 degrees, I toured the country, and I shed my old skin in favor of healthier habits. ... Part of those healthier habits have also meant confronting how I see the world. “No one can give you your honor. It’s something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what’s right.” Since tour has ended, that quote has been living in my head. The world showed an ugly side of itself this year. The election, personal disappointments, and my own desensitization to now commonplace atrocities have shown me that the world needs more good than any individual is perhaps able to give. However, the world also showed me its wonder this year. The audiences I got to perform for in the last four months of the year showed me that we do indeed have a lot more in common than what separates us. The radical kindness that Avatar advocates for is possible. I’ve seen it. We just have to choose it. ... Thank you so much to those who helped me awaken my inner child this year. I’m doing my best to help awaken others. ... I’ll remember 2024 as the year I started becoming somebody 10-year-old Ray would have looked up to. And you know what? I’m damn proud of that.