These past 20 months have been a roller coaster because of all of the difficulties that came along with the pandemic. For example, as a full-time student at a university, we all had to adjust to online schooling and for some of us like myself, it was challenging at first because it was the first time I had to have school online. Online classes have their pros and cons but one of the cons is not having the full experience of being in a classroom and learning face-to-face like a normal college student. 

When the pandemic started a lot of college students were forced to move back home, but in my case home was my dorm due to my circumstances. So I was able to stay on campus, but it was a ghost town. It felt like I was in a zombie movie because literally, no one was on campus walking around. 

The pandemic has been a challenge for many mentally, physically, and emotionally. But as the months progressed and more and more students followed the CDC mandates on masks, cases started to go down. 

The vaccine was a huge part of allowing us to have classes in person this semester. Our university had a huge day where college students and people within the community could come and get their first or second dose of the vaccine. The university made it mandatory to be vaccinated to live on campus and to be able to go to in-person classes, but you can get an excuse for the vaccine with a medical record or religious reasons. And if you do choose to get an excuse for the vaccine you must get a covid test every single week. 

The vaccines have changed everything that an average college student can do. Like having the opportunity to go to in-person classes and learn because the last several months have been online and we haven’t had that connection with our professors. 

When the pandemic first started I was locked in my dorm room all day pretty much and taking online schooling, which was challenging on my mental health. It was like being in a cage mentally. 

As soon as our university made the call for classes to be in person my heart jump from my chest. I remember the first day seeing the campus alive again it was like seeing a baby taking its first steps. With students walking, riding their bikes, and even skateboarding around. It made me so happy to see other people because I was in my dorm room all that time. It made me truly appreciate humanity.