By Meghan Smith
On school campuses around the nation and world, history is being made. I think the historic nature of what is happening on these school campuses is their response to the pandemic and how students are still determined to get their education and play sports. While I think it is difficult to get your education at any time, it is especially hard during a pandemic. With classes online and limited social interactions, it can be even harder for students to find the motivation to do their assignments. McPherson College’s reaction to COVID-19 is making history. Their response keeps the college’s values in mind, while also trying to be as safe as possible. McPherson College cares about students having classes in person and staying connected to staff and faculty, especially in this time of need.
Personally, I don’t see myself as a part of history since everyone alive right now will be here to tell the tale. I haven’t done anything significant besides go to college and work during a pandemic, but I will have plenty of stories to tell my friends and family for the coming years. The only thing my generation can do at this point in time to define history would be to vote. As young adults, there isn’t a lot we can do to influence other people. I feel like students are handling the mask well. For me, wearing a mask isn’t any different than wearing clothes in public, it is a law that you must obey to make other feel safe and comfortable.
Not only is college a defining moment in my life but going to college during a pandemic will also have an impact on me. College is important in helping figure out who you are and what you want to do. I am meeting professors who will recommend me for jobs and friends that will be at my wedding, and although these things are still happening, a pandemic does hinder my ability to do this. With so many rules and regulations, I feel like my classes and college experiences aren’t as good as they were last year, even though my college is doing everything they can to make it the best. I can’t talk to people in classes or get to know my professors on the same personal level as last year. I do strongly believe that this moment is defining me and students around the world. We are all still working and going to school just to get an education and hopefully a job we love. The way I continue to pursue my dreams, while balancing the stress of masks and regulations for the pandemic has shown me what I am cable of doing.
This pandemic, in my opinion, will change the world forever. For starters, people don’t even know how long we will continue to wear masks for, it could be the rest of my college career. Perhaps after the pandemic, people may be more concerned about the welfare of others and help build a better future for everyone. Maybe it will determine how people vote and what those people in office do to improve on our last years’ experience. Overall, everything I have experienced this past year will live on in history. A pandemic caused by eating a bat, a president who says that COVID-19 is a political hoax, hundreds of thousands of Americans dead, millions of people losing jobs, stimulus checks, the world shutting down, wearing a mask everywhere, a wedding during the pandemic, going to college during a pandemic, social unrest, and so much more. Everything that happened this year has been unprecedented and may continue on this path, but hopefully things will get better.
This is in response to Prompt #4 from Campus ReBoot, an interactive documentary in collaboration with the University of Hartford and other colleges and universities in the US, China, and Australia. For more information and to see other responses, please visit the Campus ReBoot website here: https://susancardillo.wixsite.com/campusreboot
