College in a pandemic

Hello world,

We are a year into the pandemic and most students when graduating high school never dreamed of their college experience looking as bleak as it has been this year. Chances are it never included remote learning, social distancing, donning of masks and meeting classmates via Zoom. All students, from kindergartners to college seniors, have had their school year upended, but for college freshmen, this was the ultimate quest.

The first semester and then the second semester of college is especially challenging in normal times. The transition that freshmen students undergo are enormous. Freshman students have to get used to being away from home, missing their family and trying to meet new people in a very restrictive environment. I give kudos to the students who took this on and I also understand that the year was difficult to manage. Either way the resilience of the class of 2024 is evident that our future leaders are in no way ready to throw in the towel. Hopefully as more students are able to get vaccinated we will see students be able to socialize in person and make human connections, have a traditional college expense and participate in group activities, clubs and classroom experiences.