Q: What student positions do you hold and how has the coronavirus affected them?
A: “On campus I hold two student positions. I am a leadership coordinator for the Department of Student Involvement and the ASUI Chief of Staff. I am very fortunate to be able to work both of these jobs remotely from my home in California.”
Q: How did you feel when you received the news that classes were going online for the rest of the semester? How did you feel when you heard commencement was cancelled?
A: “To be honest, I was devastated. I never thought that college would end like this. I felt robbed of the memories I was supposed to make within these last few months of college – it was really surreal. But the thing that really impacted me the most was that I felt like I had been robbed of my closure. In the midst of transitioning into such an uncertain time of my life, I felt forced to grow up a little bit quicker than anticipated. I have fear being a recent college grad entering the workforce in the midst of a pandemic and recession. I look back at all of the late nights and trying times I endured over the last four years in college. Whenever I felt as if I couldn’t do it, or things felt impossible I would picture myself at my college graduation ceremony. I imagined how proud of myself I would be on my special day alongside my classmates, best friends and family members. All college students imagine that all of their hard work will be worth it at the end of their college career when they can celebrate their accomplishments at their graduation ceremony. It hurts knowing I won’t have that moment to look back on.”
Q: How are online classes, do you feel like they’re still giving you the experience you want?
A: “Personally, I have never been a huge fan of online classes so this isn’t the most ideal situation. But, so far things are going well – I can tell that my professors are truly putting their full effort into making online classes doable for their students. I appreciate their dedication and willingness to put their students first.”
Q: What will you miss most about Moscow and UI?
A: “There are so many things I will miss about Moscow, but the thing I will miss the most are the people. My friends, professors, coworkers, mentors, supervisors and classmates made my experience at UI worthwhile. The connections I have created at UI have become some of the most special relationships in my life.”
Q: Do you have any regrets?
A: “I don’t have any regrets leaving Moscow. I truly believe I made the most out of my experience at the University of Idaho. When I graduated from high school, I left with a lot of regrets and I promised myself when I came to college I would intentionally make the most out of my time. I’m happy to say that I feel like I have taken advantage of my time in Moscow.”
Q: Are there things you never got the chance to do, but wish you could?
A: “For the most part I was able to do everything I wanted to do in Moscow. I wish I could have had more sunny days exploring the beauty of Moscow and its surrounding communities. The Palouse is beautiful and I feel that I did take that for granted.”
Q: Were you able to say goodbye to friends and professors?
A: “I wasn’t able to say goodbye to my friends, professors, or coworkers which has definitely been the hardest part within the grieving process. When I left for spring break I was completely convinced that school would resume. Never in my wildest dreams or thoughts did I think that this is where our world would be.”
Q: What was it like going home to California for spring break?
A: “It was very surreal coming home to California for break. I had plans to go to New York for break with UI’s Advertising Team. Three hours before my flight the advisor and team had decided it wasn’t a responsible choice to travel to such a high risk location. Due to the potential of exposing the Moscow community to COVID-19 or if we were to be quarantined in New York, we decided the trip wasn’t a priority. With such last minute news, luckily I was able to redirect my flight back home to California. I had barely packed anything to bring with me because I thought I would only be home for a week, but things changed rather quickly.”
Q: Was the outbreak worse in your hometown?
A: “I live about 45 minutes from San Francisco, and I would say that the outbreak is much more severe in California in comparison to Moscow. Though I do not know anyone within my hometown with COVID-19 there are many confirmed cases in neighboring counties.”
Q: Did people take social distancing more or less seriously in your hometown compared to Moscow?
A: “People took social distancing much more seriously within my hometown in comparison to Moscow. As I’m writing this I have almost been home for an entire month – I have only been with my family and only left my house to go to the grocery store. I still see people gathering and hanging out with large groups of people in Moscow. It’s really frustrating to see that people aren’t taking this seriously and potentially putting other people at risk.”
Q: When did you start taking the coronavirus and social distancing seriously, and why?
A: “Right when my flight landed on March 10, my family and myself began social distancing and self-quarantining. My family and I began social distancing immediately because my mom is immunocompromised and my grandmother is within the at risk age group. We couldn’t risk potentially putting them in danger. For the safety of my loved ones and the well-being of my community, it would be selfish to not take this 100% seriously. From the start, my mom told my family we needed to act as if we had been exposed – no socializing and no unnecessary outings.”
Q: What have you been doing to keep busy and sane during quarantine?
A: “With school and work still in session, I have been staying pretty busy! But, I have been trying to focus on new hobbies to bring some light in my day. I started embroidering again which has always been something I love to do, but never can seem to find the time. I also began offering to design and create resumes on Adobe for my classmates to pass the time. It’s been fun to use creative outlets to pass the time!”
Q: How are you staying positive and hopeful during this time, even with your senior year being cut short?
A: “Our whole world is feeling this pain, anxiety, confusion and fear. As cliché as it sounds, we really are all in this together. Though this is an extremely inconvenient circumstance, I have seen my community grow alongside one another. Local businesses in my town have been donating thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards to feed hospital workers, families have been donating supplies to families in need, neighbors are checking up on each and people have been actively seeking ways to help one another. It’s beautiful to see so much good in the midst of so much bad news. Complete strangers are exuding love and compassion towards one another; human kindness is what is making me feel hopeful throughout all of this. Though my senior year was abruptly cut short I have to believe that maybe there’s a silver lining I can’t fully see quite yet. I’ve been given the opportunity to spend quality time with my family – who knows when I will be able to do this again once I get a full time job, potentially in a completely different state? I feel fortunate I have a family to live with, two amazing jobs I’m still able to receive an income for and that I even have a home to shelter in. These are huge privileges.”
Q: Do you have any advice for people to get through this?
A: “You have the right to feel all of your feelings. You have the right to mourn your losses; no matter how big or small they may be. Your feelings are valid. Whether you are mourning the abrupt ending of your semester, a spring break trip, an anticipated school event, your commencement ceremony or whatever it may be — your feelings are valid and this will all pass. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel — some days will be better than others and some days will be harder than others. Grief works in funny ways. People care about you and love you, though it seems like we have lost more than we have gained we still have our people. Also, to my fellow class of 2020 graduates — we may not receive a proper graduation ceremony, but it doesn’t take away from this major accomplishment. Be proud of yourself, because you did it.”
Story by Lizzie Holdridge
Courtesy Photo by Katie Nolan
Design by Taylor Lund