Army Combat Engineer Dillon Bordner’s favorite memory of 2025 was proposing to his girlfriend, Brittnee Trexler, at Smithmyer’s Farm in Patton.

While they haven’t set a wedding date, they’re looking forward to engaged life in 2026.

Overall, Bordner said he had more “good times than bad” this year, especially thinking about his first overseas trip to Australia for army training in July.

He explored the culture and endured a different climate, as he “didn’t expect it to get that cold at night.”

Potter

Now stationed in Alaska, Bordner’s advice for the new year is to “stay positive, keep your head up and don’t give up.”

After returning home from Austria this summer, longtime Claysburg resident Ethan Potter didn’t expect to find a lasting community of people his age near Altoona.

He planned to pack up and move away upon graduating from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He decided to stay, however, which in turn created a worthwhile 2025.

“I don’t really need to do that adventure because I’m happy here,” he said.

Some of his most memorable moments came while living abroad, including watching Pope Leo XIV conduct a Sunday address in Rome.

Barton

Potter is looking forward to staying home for a while to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and grow his start-up marketing LLC. While he acknowledged that nothing too exciting is on his personal agenda, he said it’s the “small things in life” that matter most.

It’s difficult coming back from college and finding new people, he said, but through patience and hard work, “you can find community and make living in central Pennsylvania enjoyable.”

Realtor Mary Kay Barton is looking for a more relaxed new year filled with good health, travel and good work.

Her friend Cindy Kanski, sitting with her at Coffee on 3rd in Duncansville, has similar goals, such as spending more time with family and friends.

Both friends also caught the travel bug in 2025, as Barton flew to her bucket-list destination of Kauai, Hawaii, while Kanski visited Peru with her husband and friends.

Kanski

Both Barton and Kanski said they’d relive 2025 again, and they plan to travel to Croatia and

Florida, respectively, next year.

It’s easy to get caught up in making life perfect, Barton said, but “life isn’t perfect, and try to enjoy the period of life you’re in at the time.”

Kanski also said it’s important to fit in exercise, social and family time.

“Make sure you make that time for the things you love to do,” she said.

Walker

Positivity and hope

For some, last year was filled with self-discovery and realization, and they are aiming for a more mindful new year.

Film Center shopper Carlene Walker said she’s looking forward to a more positive year, as 2025 just “kept getting worse.”

She recalled experiencing car trouble and her partner’s death, along with being in the hospital at one time.

As a woman in her mid-70s, she said “it’s getting harder. Life isn’t easy.”

Musser

Her piece of New Year’s advice is to “stay healthy and safe.”

City resident Mackenzie Musser found inner peace in 2025, she said, because she experienced difficult moments during previous years.

She said she would relive 2025 because “I made it to the point where I’m happy with who I am.”

As an order filler at the Sheetz Distribution Center, she reads every day by listening to audiobooks through her headphones.

She and her boyfriend are planning to move in together next year, so she started to declutter her personal library. Starting with 100 books, she’s currently down to 30, with the remaining number in storage.

Musser plans on setting boundaries and keeping her peace in 2026.

At Coffee on 3rd, Indiana University of Pennsylvania sophomore Kirsten Morealli said she “always fails” at keeping New Year’s resolutions, but this year, she’s aiming to become “more intentional” with her time.

“I want to do what I love, spend time being productive and see my friends more often,” she said.

Morealli, who is getting her degree in English, switched college friend groups in 2025, gaining companions who provide more positive energy in her life.

“It was a big change,” she said. “I lost friends, but I didn’t need that energy.”

Considering her journey of self-empowerment, she encouraged people to “give themselves more grace” with future goals and commitments.

Taking the next step

Milestones such as graduation loom for some central Pennsylvanians, so many are looking toward stepping into the next chapters of their lives.

City resident Doris Good was happy with Donald Trump’s presidency in 2025, which made it “a good year.”

As far as her personal life, Good’s favorite memory from 2025 included her grandson’s acceptance into Juniata College and watching him play in soccer games.

While she was unable to attend any of his matches this fall, Good said she was kept updated through photos and videos.

“Follow your dreams” is Good’s piece of advice for 2026, adding that people shouldn’t let “anybody or anything hold you back.”

There’s a lot of negativity surrounding young people today, telling them that they will never succeed or buy a house, she said. Nevertheless, “you can do what you put your mind to.”

Altoona Area High School senior Mattie Baker is making an effort to read 50 books in 2026.

“I’m trying to get into more nonfiction,” she said, expanding her growing knowledge of the world around her.

Baker’s friend, Grace Long, is looking forward to her graduation at Altoona Area in May and starting her college experience at Susquehanna University, with a major in environmental studies.

One of their most notable memories of 2025 was seeing Canadian singer The Weeknd in concert in Philadelphia. After his first performance, Baker and Long lucked out and scored two more tickets for his second night’s show.

“It was really cool,” Baker said. “He puts on a great show.”

As a piece of advice, Baker said people should continue learning and engaging with the world around them.

Screen time has become a huge problem for Americans, which can negatively impact literacy rates, she said. It’s important to “keep the spirit of learning alive while being excited about it.”

Meanwhile, Long advised readers not to place too much pressure upon themselves, stating that completing goals requires time to flesh them out first.

“You think you’re going to be a changed person in one month, but you have to take your time and figure it out,” she said.

Part-time Film Center employee Aaron McCulloch was busy this year, as he’s finishing his final year studying cyber security at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

He’s looking forward to graduating in 2026, along with finding an internship and traveling to Oslo, Norway.

One of his favorite memories of 2025, however, was taking his golden retriever down to Raystown Lake with his family during the summer.

“He loves the water,” McCulloch said, “so it’s nice to get him in the water, feed him. It’s fun watching him jump around.”

Enjoying trips around central Pennsylvania with his family, McCulloch advised people to “have fun, be safe, and don’t be indoors all year long.”

Stress builds as people are connected to their phones, McCulloch said. “You need some time to go up into the mountains and take a second.”

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.

Morealli

Good

Baker

Long

McCulloch