Month: November 2025

The upcoming season of “Stranger Things” is going to test fans’ emotional boundaries with deaths and by twisting character dynamics and roles.

Everyone who is a fan of the show is excited for the upcoming release of the final season of the hit Netflix series. These last eight episodes are expected to give an end to the story of the beloved characters that were introduced to us back in 2016.

“Stranger Things” is one of the best shows to come out of Netflix. The world-building and the characters make for one of the most entertaining shows. This made me very eager for each season they have announced since I started watching in 2017. It intrigues me how the setting of this upcoming season will be.

What kind of setting we can expect

The political climate that we can expect in the show will be centered around the Cold War tension between the Soviet Union and the United States, and the nuclear threats between the two sides. More specifically, the de-escalation of many nuclear weapons with the INF treaty that happened in 1987, the year the show is supposed to take place.

We can expect a lot of military zones, with more government presence in the show than ever. This also matches the high stakes that the show will have. Therefore, the group will not only have to deal with the supernatural but also with a stronger government force.

Season four left us with Vecna wounded but still alive, and the seams between Hawkins and the Upside Down expanding.

The Duffer brothers said that this season will be about closure and tying up all the loose ends that revolve around the group from Hawkins. So, what can we expect to happen to our favorite characters? Here are my three biggest predictions for the next season.

Steve is going to die

There are many people on the internet debating whether Steve or Dustin is going to have a tragic end to their stories. I stand on the belief that Steve is going to be the unfortunate one in this case.

Steve’s character arc has progressed throughout the seasons, going from being a bully to the protector of the group and somebody for the younger characters to look up to. The end of season four left us intrigued with Vecna saying he wants “four chimes” in order to open a massive portal, which means that at least one person will die in the last season.

Steve’s character has gone a bit stale on the later seasons as he has already redeemed himself. In order to give Steve the biggest conclusion possible and add more emotional impact to the story, he will be one to fall under Vecna. He will most likely die around episode four, since it’s the end of the first volume, and the showrunners will want to end that with a big hit to our feelings. His death will most likely come from sacrificing himself to make the loss even more motivational to the other characters.

Will sacrifices himself, Eleven is left powerless.

Will’s connection to Vecna has been more than proven in the trailer for the season, which shows a direct interaction and the villain saying he needs Will’s help. This can set Will up to have a sacrificial end that will save Hawkins and finally close the Upside Down. I am betting that he will be a central character for the final season and probably one of the last to die.

It’s hard to predict how he will die, but it might come from his body not being able to handle closing the portal. His importance is still undeniable. The first five minutes of the new season has been released, and it shows Will from season one running and trying to fight off a demogorgon in the Upside Down and his interaction with Vecna. I think this is a way for the Duffer brothers to say that he is one of the, if not THE most important piece of the show, so his connection with the villain will play a major role in ending the story.

If he’s the one closing the portal, that will also lead to Eleven losing her powers permanently because we have seen the use of these powers come at a cost, both mental and physical. This gives her a bittersweet ending where she can live out her life, but cannot use the powers that made her a hero.

There’s a connection between the supernatural and the natural with the portal between both worlds being open. Once the portal is closed, Eleven will no longer have that connection to the supernatural and won’t be able to use her powers anymore.

Max is going to be possessed and be a “double agent” for Vecna

Max got saved by the group at the end of season four but was left in a coma. This leaves the door open for her to have her memories accessed by Vecna as a vessel outside the Upside Down because they are still connected as they only stopped her possession for a while, not ceased it.

This can lead to an interesting dynamic in the group where Max hanging around the group will be used against them, but she can also help the group by giving them information from the Upside Down. More specifically, she can use Vecna’s memories, but he can also use hers as well without her knowing.

For Lucas, he will be worried about Max the same way he was last season, but will have a moment of joy once she wakes up from the coma. The connection will probably stay a secret until the last third of the season, but it will be used in favor of both parties. Max, however, probably won’t be freed until Vecna is dealt with because he is surely going to be more powerful than in other seasons. So we won’t see another “Running Up the Hill” moment this season, or at least a successful one. For both Max and Lucas, I am positive we will see them happy as a couple once everything is said and done.

The final season of this show will likely leave us with mixed feelings of joy, sadness and nostalgia because we have seen these characters grow up, finish their story in a better or worse way, and never see them again after finishing the episodes. We should enjoy as much as we can every episode and be ready that this is going to be the end.

When I started my university journey, I had more questions than answers.

“Who do I want to be?” “Where do I see myself in five years?” “How can I adapt to another culture and find opportunities for myself?”

Being an international student from Ukraine who just finished high school, I flew to America and left my family and my home. I hoped to get a degree that would bring me a strong belief in who I would be in the future. The one thing I knew was that I needed to study hard and be patient.

While taking my first step on Utah Tech University’s campus, I was excited, but at the same time worried about the future years that I would spend earning my degree in communication studies.

The biggest fear I had was about communicating with people and finding new connections, as being an international student alone in another country was a big challenge for me. I was worried that people would not understand me, as English is my second language. At first, I was not the first one who would talk with people, as I was scared to make a mistake while I was speaking.

However, some time later, I noticed that people appreciated the responsiveness and were ready for dialogue with me, not paying that much attention to my accent. The support from people made me understand that everyone can make mistakes and every opinion needs to be heard.

Later, the next relieving breath for me was my first orientation before the start of the academic year. There, I noticed many other international students from different countries who experienced the same things that I did.

From that moment, I understood that I was not alone in my situation and that it was possible for me to find support at Utah Tech. Being a new student, I often spent time in the International Student & Scholar Office, where I could always get support from the faculty and meet with other international students, as it is a place where every international student can come when they want to communicate.

Now, looking back three years ago, I can confidently say that the support and the connection with people at that time played a crucial role in helping me become the person I am now.

I want to share some advice with students who are now experiencing hard times involving university life and community: do not be afraid of talking to people and looking for your people inside the university community. There are many people who share the same interests that you do, but it is up to you to manage how fast you connect with them.

By visiting numerous events available for students at Utah Tech, I met people with whom I found things in common and with whom I became friends. The first event that stood out to me and where I found my first university friends was a soccer game in the first month of classes.

Uniting and bringing people together is one of the goals of Utah Tech, and events help students make the campus a temporary home for them.

Other things that helped were exploring the classes my major offers and getting help from my professors. Both helped me to understand my strengths and develop the skills I did not have before. Applying to a communication studies major before becoming a student, I knew what I would study, but I did not expect the variety of subjects I could take. All the classes I took toward exploring my major awakened my interest in my future profession — journalism.

The experience I had in my research class, media writing class, English classes and interpersonal communication class all improved my skills I have now and which I will bring into my future. Learning and discovering these subjects helped me to find my passion for journalism.

One of the greatest supports for me was the Writing Center, located in the Holland Centennial Commons & Library, where students helped me to develop my writing skills. 

Sometimes the quantity of essays and written assignments I had was overwhelming for me, and the opportunity to discuss my paper with somebody and get help with it was what made me stronger in my writing skills and my passion for writing. 

So, if you have difficulties with your assignments or need help with planning your future after university, use the resources offered to you on campus, as their main goal is to help you grow academically and find your future.

Now, as a senior graduating next semester and reflecting on my past experiences, I have learned that the desire to achieve and stepping out of my comfort zone are things that have turned me into the person I am now. If you are at the stage where you decide whether or not to risk stepping into a world where everything is new for you, look at my experience and see that nothing is impossible.