By Maryam Hashimi, Merna Poulis and Julia Baxter (and an honorable mention to Branson Bajoua)
in East County Leadership Council’s (ECLC) COVID-19 Essay Contest (Third Prizes)
Tell me how you really feel
I was glad that schools were closing when Covid hit, but I was unaware of the difficult portion that lay ahead.
One of the most difficult aspects of COVID-19 was being at home the entire time. Throughout the academic year, I was heavily involved in school events. I would leave for school at 7 a.m. and return at 7 p.m.
Moving from a full schedule to an empty one was a significant adjustment. I simply didn’t know what to do with myself at home. My track and field, volleyball, and fashion show were all canceled, which made me very sad. Those were the only things that could keep me motivated and joyful on a daily basis. I grew depressed and had sporadic moments that I simply cried because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to achieve my goals.
Furthermore, not being active made me feel constantly unmotivated. I used to go to bed late and wake up late in the morning. My eating pattern was thrown off schedule as a result of my new sleeping pattern. I began to eat too many unhealthy snacks, get up at 2:00 p.m., have lunch at 6:00 p.m., and skip breakfast and dinner. I’d also stay up all night eating snacks. I would overthink “what am I doing with my life?”
I was also unable to win the Junior Female Athlete of the Year Award because even though I was sure to win as I had fought tirelessly throughout the year, the event was canceled.
We were unable to visit universities for the next senior year, which made it difficult for us to make a college decision. I applied to a lot of colleges and universities, but I didn’t know which one would be the best fit for me.
It’s incredibly depressing not knowing the next step.
I was unsure about the colleges and worried that I would make a mistake. Not knowing which college I want to go to is similar to not knowing what I want to do with my life and having no future. The college decision day, May 1st, was really stressful for me because I had to make a decision about my future. There was a lot of pressure on me, and as a first-generation college student, I didn’t have anyone to assist me to navigate the educational system and make decisions.
“What if I don’t pick the proper college?”, “What if I move far?”, “If I move far, do I have the money to pay for rent and other necessities?”, “Should I go to college first then transfer?”, “How do I pay for the books?”, “What if I make a mistake and damage my future?”, “What if…”
These questions made me fearful of college and colleges even more. Being unable to attend school in person also made it more difficult for me to interact with my professors about college options. With all of these challenges, I’ve learned a lot of new things that will benefit me in the future. COVID-19 has taught me to spend more time alone and to be more self-reliant.
You don’t need anyone else to have fun or to be happy; you can have fun and be happy by yourself.
I also learned to appreciate myself more than usual, realizing that I am perfect in my own way and that I should not compare myself to others. It took me a long time to love myself, but I eventually did. Almost every day, I stood in front of the mirror and spoke lovely things to myself. You’re lovely, you’re the finest, and you can achieve everything. you set your mind to. These kind words, I feel, contributed to my increased self-assurance and happiness.
It’s beneficial to learn how to be more self-assured and joyful since you don’t need anyone to tell you how lovely you are or to make you happy.
After seeing so many individuals die from COVID every day, I realized how vital my health is and began to eat healthier, drink more water, and exercise. There have been numerous more changes in my life as a result of COVID. This virus has had both positive and negative effects on me.
This essay shared third prize in the East County Leadership Council (ECLC) 2021 COVID-19 essay contest. Prize money has been provided through the generosity of ECLC donors and a grant from the Foundation for Economic Justice.
Reprints of this article must credit the author as follows: “Third Prize Winner in the East County Leadership Council 2021 COVID-19 Essay Contest.”
New Normal
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected numerous aspects of our society today. Hand sanitizing stations have been installed in every corner. Physical touch has been frowned upon for the past year, and distance is the new normal. Masks have become a substantial part of our everyday look. Going to school, or receiving an education has easily been one of the biggest challenges that everyone has had to face. Overall, COVID-19 has strongly impacted each and every one of us, but the classrooms have changed the way students view school physically, mentally, and emotionally.
To some people, school is a dreadful part of their days, and to others, school is the most enjoyable aspect of their lives. Now, school has been split into so many different forms, whether that’s fully distanced learning, a blend of both in-person and online learning, or fully in-person learning, which leaves students and parents having to make many different decisions based off of how they want to be taught/learn, which could’ve also resulted in parents becoming their children’s teachers/tutors. Before this pandemic happened, it never occurred to anyone how they generally preferred to learn. For some students, online learning is ideal because they can work on their own time, and for others, physically going to school is a better option due to possible distractions at home. This has been a time of confusion for everyone, and students have had to deal with added pressure based on how they want to learn. Many students would prefer to go back to school physically so that they can socialize with their friends and have some sort of normalcy back in their lives, but they are required to distance themselves from one another and don’t even have the ability to talk to one another during passing periods as long as before. This can mentally and emotionally affect how some students perceive school and their social lives because they can’t enjoy being around others at school like they were able to before this pandemic surprisingly changed everything.
As the school year continues, students are approaching the next level of their education, which is usually an exciting time, but it has been morphed into stress-inducing events. Due to almost everything being virtual, students face big tasks, such as college applications, SAT/ACT testing, and basic class information on their own. This past year has felt like a year of independence, which is always preferable, but guidance is required for students to know how to prepare for standardized tests, interviews, college applications, and how to pass their now virtual classes. It has even taken a large toll on students’ mental health, especially since sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end trying to figure out what to do first is extremely stressful and intimidating. Everyone has turned to technology for assistance to get through any challenge, but guidance helps students feel more comfortable in achieving their future goals, such as getting into college and graduating.
This pandemic has affected each and every one of us, but personally, I’ve had a unique experience. During the pandemic, I moved from Arizona to California, which resulted in a change of schools in the middle of my junior year. In Arizona, I had a developed friend group, a job, and a “home-state” that I had lived in for nearly my entire life. Moving to California didn’t upset me as much as leaving my friends did. I had to continue the school year at a new school, with different classes, teachers, and in a different city. It was difficult trying to meet new people and make new friends because of the many guidelines that needed to be followed in order to be safe. This was a completely different experience for me because my high school in Arizona was pretty much going back to normal, and at my new school, I was bombarded with online classes once again. Online learning affected me so much, to the point where I didn’t have the motivation to do any of my schoolwork, and I believe that many other students have felt the same. The study-habits that I worked so hard on slowly disappeared as the pandemic took place, and especially during quarantine. My personal experience with the COVID-19 pandemic may seem irrelevant to any stranger walking down the street, but the importance of my experience and others’ experiences is that they are all unique. The pandemic has affected me in different ways than it might have affected a teacher, nurse, doctor, or a business owner. It’s crucial to understand that everyone’s lives have changed in one way or another throughout the past year and a half, and that’s to be expected because after all, it was a global pandemic that affected every individual around the world. As the COVID-19 pandemic is thankfully coming to an end with the vaccines being administered, life can slowly go back to normal, and that has been visible. It’s critical to remember that many different people have retained a lot of trauma from the pandemic, so it would be extremely beneficial for all people to come out of this pandemic being as supportive to one another as possible. Schools are slowly allowing students to learn the way they used to, small businesses and restaurants have been able to open up again, and families have been able to reunite. It was a long time coming, but there’s always a light at the end of every tunnel, and although this may have been an extremely difficult tunnel to get through, students, teachers, nurses, doctors, mothers, fathers, and everyone else has been able to grow from a time period that no one saw coming. The year 2020 was definitely one for the books for many different reasons, but it should be noted as a year of tremendous growth.
This essay shared third prize in the East County Leadership Council (ECLC) 2021 COVID-19 essay contest. Prize money has been provided through the generosity of ECLC donors and a grant from the Foundation for Economic Justice.
Reprints of this article must credit the author as follows: “Third Prize Winner in the East County Leadership Council 2021 COVID-19 Essay Contest.”
COVID Affected Us All
Even if you were not infected by COVID-19, no person escaped being impacted by it. The virus infiltrated every aspect of life, from having to instinctively grab a mask before leaving the house to causing national lockdowns. Life revolving around the coronavirus is starting to feel like the new normal. Students are one particular group that’s accustomed to persisting in the face of adversity, but the latest challenge has been difficult to adjust to for many, and it’s sink or swim.
After experiencing almost a full school year in the midst of a pandemic, the
unpredictability of life is beginning to grow old. Upperclassmen deal with colleges
changing their requirements for applications on a monthly basis. They’re anxious about tests like the SAT and ACT being canceled and rescheduled constantly, and fight to get in extracurriculars to make up for lost time during the lockdown. Underclassmen are either freshmen who didn’t finish their last semester of middle school and began their first year of high school without seeing their teachers in person until September, or they are sophomores who did not get the chance to finish adjusting to high school expectations due to having their school year cut short.
For some, these circumstances have spurred a negative change in their work ethic,
social skills, and motivation. The isolation that accompanied the height of the pandemic also took a toll on students’ mental health. Personally, face-to-face interaction helps with my self-confidence, takes my mind off stressors in my life, and improves my overall happiness; the recent lack of interaction has transformed my enjoyment of socialization into dread. Feeling the need to mentally prepare myself to spend time with my peers is not a new development in my mind that I appreciate.
As alarming as these changes in the youth are, they are just negative habits that can be broken. For those who struggle to complete their assignments on time and stay on task, make a plan for yourself so that you have a routine. Scheduling breaks in your day is also a helpful practice so that you reward yourself for staying on task. Sticking to a plan and congratulating yourself for your accomplishments is helpful for building new, beneficial habits.
For those who struggle with motivation, whether it’s to get out of bed before noon to do distance learning or to study for an important test, try accomplishing small tasks that help you feel productive. Setting an alarm to get up, making your bed, and brushing your teeth are three simple steps that can spur an entire day of productivity; additionally, exercising in the morning helps to boost energy while improving your physical and mental health. While the improvements may not be immediate, changing your lifestyle leads to breaking unproductive habits and fostering productive ones. For those who have become antisocial due to isolation, the most straightforward fix is to talk to anyone. Forcing yourself to be outgoing will not happen without discomfort, but interaction with your peers will feel more natural over time and, hopefully, enjoyable.
Just like the optimistic fact that the effects of the pandemic can be reversed
through work, COVID-19 did not negatively affect every student. One thing that the pandemic, particularly in the lockdown stage, gave us was an abundance of one thing: time. As much of a blessing school is, it is undeniably a source of stress for many youths; the pressure to succeed in the final four years of school before becoming an adult can be overwhelming. So, when spring break turned into a month without school, many teens had a chance to develop important skills that aren’t necessarily school- centric; some worked on physical fitness, some took time to practice a hobby that relaxes them, and others took much-needed time to rest. Even when school returned on a digital platform, there were students who were able to adapt or excel. Being able to semi-control the pace of learning was the boost that some students needed to earn better grades. Others functioned better in the privacy of their home rather than a classroom with distractions. Also, there was no concern of needing to commute to school, so teens had more time to sleep in and make themselves a satisfying breakfast before logging online.
While COVID-19 was devastating due to the toll it took on human life and interaction, it highlighted problems in a variety of areas of society—specifically, students needed to adjust to life in unimaginable circumstances and will likely feel the effects of the pandemic even after it is over. Although this period of time has been detrimental to many youths and their academic performance or social lives, it tested the perseverance of the students in the face of extreme adversity, and some of us came out on top.
This essay shared third prize in the East County Leadership Council (ECLC) 2021 COVID-19 essay contest. Prize money has been provided through the generosity of ECLC donors and a grant from the Foundation for Economic Justice.
Reprints of this article must credit the author as follows: “Third Prize Winner in the East County Leadership Council 2021 COVID-19 Essay Contest.”
Thank you.
©2021 East County Leadership Council. Reprint permission granted if attribution properly noted.