The College Experience: Covid Edition
Tags: Education, College, College Covid 19

I think we all can pinpoint the day that all our lives stopped in its tracks. News stations were blowing up about this new coronavirus that was spreading across the world at rapid speeds. Countries shutting down. Thousands, quickly turning to millions of people sick, and hospitals running out of room to treat sick patients. Heck, this is still happening and we are still existing in this crazy era. As of December 26 2020 when I am writing this, the vaccine has just started to be administered only a few weeks ago.

It is crazy to think that was only nine and a half months ago. We were all going about our lives, I was working and in school, making plans for awards nights, conferences, local vacation plans, getting excited about work opportunities. Then what seems like an instant the world just stopped. It feels as though the world has been on pause all this time yet we have all gone through a collective trauma and witnessed so much political tensions. Everything almost feels fake.

I can only speak from my experiences, so that is what I will do.

For college students especially, our lives got flipped upside down. I am lucky in the fact that I am currently studying at a community college so I was already still living at home. But many friends of mine got kicked out of their dorms at their schools that they have paid thousands of dollars for, including meal plans with no refunds. Many of my other friends who are studying here in the states were facing possible deportation due to classes being held virtually. It was a stressful time all around, but not knowing if people you had considered family would be able to stay here to continue their classes and graduate and continue at their jobs was a new level.

Work for me turned virtual but within a week we had to figure out how to turn our program into a virtual setting and make sure all of our kids had the tools to successfully finish the program and make sure they felt safe in their homes playing their part. Being the program we are our main goal was to make sure they were able to show off their hard work and stories, but also do so in a safe and comfortable setting. And don’t get me started on moving college courses online. Many of my professors were not technologically trained and had never hosted online courses. So March for all my classes was the last time I had seen those professors and classmates. Like myself, they had a week to learn how to work in this new environment, however even simple emails to the classes would have felt more stable. Most professors sent an email out saying the course was to be completed online for the remainder of the semester and one at the end reminding us of when grades closed.

For an extrovert like myself, and someone who functions best when she has a schedule, this sudden isolation really threw me into a depression. Yes, I could have made a schedule but learning a new schedule isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially last minute. I am the type of person who knows everything down to a minute. How long it takes to travel to school, to walk from class to class, how long I have to work and if I have enough time to socialize. I had all my meetings, rehearsals and work hours scheduled. All down to the minute. So to create a new schedule, and getting used to a new learning and working environment where your body and mind associate with relaxation is going to take a good minute or two to adjust to. I think I am still not fully used to it this far in and severely miss my study spaces on campus. It is crazy to think how much we train our bodies unconsciously.

Going online I really missed that structure I had given myself. Getting to school early so sit and relax in the lounge area before classes and drink my coffee. Walking to classes. Being able to go to office hours and discuss how to make my work better or ask questions about assignments or things we discussed in class. I missed going to the cafeteria for lunch and the discussions I would have with the ladies working the grills or grabbing a salad before the rush came in. Those small things we never take into consideration of being so significant until it’s gone. Especially office hours being taken away. I understand that at the time professors themselves were just getting used to the new system as we were and it was no fault of their own. We all were learning and dealing with our own mental health issues after having quite literally everything we knew do a 180 turn. But I couldn’t help but feel irritated.

The first semester for myself hit really hard. I work my butt off for my grades and to maintain myself and it all fell apart it seemed. My grades were the worst I had ever gotten and I was upset because I was so used to ending the semesters with mid 90’s. And quite frankly I was still mourning the loss of so many experiences that I had lost. I had a fundraiser planned that I no longer could host. A Latinx Student Conference I was supposed to attend with some of my favorite people from a campus club that got canceled. I was casted for the first time in a musical that I had forced myself to audition for. So much amazing music didn’t get played for our spring showcase because we no longer could have wind ensemble. A performer is used to always being at rehearsals and looking forward to shows and they got taken away. My students were not able to do their public show that they had worked so hard on in the way we had planned and they grew SO MUCH within the few months we worked together. All through the mourning of these events I forgot to focus on the most important thing. I was healthy. My family was healthy. My friends were healthy.

To say college during covid has been a struggle is an understatement. We are learning the way through crashing systems. Some virtual classes, some that give no communication at all, virtual labs and so much more. We are essential workers, struggling to keep food on the table and rent paid or help support the family. It has been a year of tests, mental, physically, emotionally and we are all learning how strong and resilient we are. We are learning more about ourselves, how we learn, how we function best, and even how we want to move forward with our future careers or what kind of bosses we hope to be after dealing with people who don’t care about their workers. No matter what, we have all learned something. (Just maybe not from those online courses.. Let’s be real.. I don’t think any of that information has been retained this year).