As many already know, COVID-19 has brought everything in everyone’s day-to-day life to a grinding halt. People are running low on resources, losing their jobs, graduations, and their homes. My classmates and I, the Class of 2020, are all going through similar thought processes as we hear about our senior activities being postponed, senior year being cut short, and graduation being put at risk of either being postponed or canceled.
At first, I wasn’t too worried about the coronavirus situation. I didn’t think for a second that it would get this out of hand. I had no clue and presume that most of my fellow classmates were clueless as well about this turning into a socioeconomic catastrophe. I began to worry about my senior privileges being stripped once I noticed that universities around the country began to shut down their campuses and call off their graduation commencements for the Class of 2020. I then knew that the same would come to Pasadena Unified—and soon enough it did. PUSD’s Superintendent Brian McDonald decided to close down all schools until April 13th, a date that later moved to May 5th. As of now, I have little hope for the resuming of the school year and all its activities. And instead, I am preparing for a worst-case scenario.
I didn’t qualify for the eighth-grade promotion and all of its activities. In contrast, I felt extremely accomplished to know that I would be able to graduate and be accepted into a four-year university, despite my poor grades in previous years. It hurts to think about how I may never be able to see my friends and classmates in class ever again, experience an actual last day of school, or any of the senior activities I once thought I would get to partake in. It’s devastating to hear about how many of my classmates were looking forward to these final moments as high-schoolers, having prepared in all sorts of ways to finish the school year in the best way they can. I’m in a situation right now where my Mother was recently laid-off from her job at Fox Sports (because there’s literally no sports right now), meaning there is no money coming in. I’m beginning to realize that I may need to step up soon by getting a job at a local supermarket or restaurant in order to pay off certain bills and my upcoming tuition fees.
I wanted to write something for everyone in my class, for the people who may never be able to see their friends in school again, and for the people who may be affected by the harsh repercussions of the coronavirus. I wish for everyone to try and make every situation they are in a positive one, no matter how bad it may seem; if you think you won’t be able to see your friends as much because of this, try to text them and check in on them often. Find other ways to spend time and have fun with them (without violating current health safety regulations of course). I know that once this mildly-anarchic occurrence environment comes to an end, everyone will have a deeper appreciation and understanding of what they have and who they surround themselves with.