David

“Coronavirus’ interruption to the end of our college careers is unquestionably disappointing and unfair. For all college students, the last few months are supposed to be a victory lap for all the work that they have done in high school and college; the last few months are the time for people to celebrate the significant achievements they made during their studies, including many classes taken, wonderful lifelong friends made, and invaluable skills for the future. I remember in March the general hysteria on campus related to the virus that would soon be declared a pandemic: I was quite ready for a break at the end of the quarter, and the overarching confusion was even more exhausting. When I heard on March 6 that the rest of my current quarter was gonna be online, I booked a flight for that Monday, thinking that being home safely would bring some relief. I took one bag home with me, left most of my stuff on campus, and did not say goodbyes: I’m too positive of a human being to have accepted back then the fate the we currently have now. I was convinced we would have at least part of our Spring quarter, and now that’s gone too. Our university was relatively gracious compared to others: no one was forced to move out until the local laws made it impossible to, and hundreds of students were allowed to stay. The university heard student feedback and promised to hold an in-person graduation at some point—which was marvelous for me because I will have the closure to my college career.

But all that happened to college seniors is part of a massive lesson that we are learning maybe too early: crises will happen throughout our lives, whether it being a war, health-related, economic, or political. They never look the same, and they never come at a time that is convenient. It’s a hard lesson that allows us to recognize the infinite blessings we have in our lives. I am beyond grateful and joyed to have a home that is so comfortable, to have parents and a brother whom I love dearly, to know that the economic and financial consequences won’t affect my family’s life or lifestyle to a large degree, to have fabulous friends that I adore and can talk to at any time, to be in a loving and fruitful relationship with a very special girl, to live in a beautiful city with wonderful weather, to be healthy and active, to have my employer tell me my job is safe for next year, and to have a positive outlook in life. I am grateful that I can still take classes for my last academic quarter in a way that resembles my normal education as much as possible—though working from my room will never quite feel the same as working outside in the California sun. This calmer and quieter moment gives me time to pursue interests that I had less time to spend on than in the past. And yes, none of this feels normal or optimal by any means—but it is quite a nice change of pace to focus on the small things that we didn’t pay attention to as much. There are peers of ours who have to go home and not only see their lifestyle change, but face grueling economic and financial realities within their families, or who have no choice but to take care of older relatives while feeling like they are endangering them. My life is still quite fantastic, and I cannot be more thankful.

I feel that it’s very easy in these times to feel that life has hit the pause switch. But it is vital to remember that life still goes on, even if it looks nothing like we want it to or are use to. We can still generate a lot of meaning and beauty out of every day, and use this time to be productive and relaxed. When quarantine ends—and it will end—I want to feel that I still lived every day to the fullest that I could at home; that when it’s all over, that I feel proud that I used every day to enjoy life, that I used this time to learn many new things, and that I used these days for personal growth and improvement in some way. Though we live in dark times, I am very optimistic about the future, both short-term and long-term. Advances are being made every single day to fight this virus, and at speeds that no one thought was possible just a month ago. Human progress and solidarity has been remarkable throughout this whole crisis. And when it’s all over, our resiliency will allows us to put our head up, and push forward out of this hole in phenomenal ways. I don’t know if I’ll start my job in September in the office in New York or at home, but I am confident that some time soon—even though no one knows when that exact time will be—it’ll all play out in a way that’ll make us glad. We will bounce back pretty soon, and though some things will never be the same, we will together grow and rebuild to live the lives that we love living the most.”