A Message from A Pandemic Graduate

Though our last semester ended totally different from how it is suppose to be, realize the fact that we made it through a pandemic and other blockades. Despite the fact that we have been stripped of major events that takes place during the last two months of school: dances, senior trips, prom; we still overcame this detrimental semester, we tried our best.

E-Learning, Zoom University, Google Meet, Bongo and any other program that was used by our many professors/teachers are not just a new experience form us, but for our teachers as well. Not all of us are tech-savy and can handle all of the new technology that can be incorporated in the educational world, but we are going to get through it. For all of us who have a different life when we are at home, realize that you somehow found a way to balance your home-life with your classes (plus with the implementing of pass-fail, if you did not do so well in class, your GPA won't be affected that much).

To my students who are essential workers and you still balance taking classes, you are amazing. Don't feel bad about the end result, be grateful you made it to the finish line.

To my fellow classmates that either have virtual graduates or no graduation at all, your talents and achievements will still be celebrated in other ways. Your professors/teachers, family and friends will celebrate with you in any unique way possible during this isolation.

There is something that I would like for all of us to remember, but I would like to address to each of the different classes of 2020. Some things to reflect on and what are things to look forward to as you enter the next chapter of your educational career:

To the 8th grade Class of 2020, you have completed the first milestone of your educational journey. Graduating middle school may not seem as a milestone, but I see it as the first steps to adolescence. You are about to enter the world of being a teenager and go through the many phases of dating, growing up, puberty, emotions and etc. Enjoy your time in high school for you will start to understand more about yourself from what you like to do and figure out what you want your career to be.

To the seniors of high school, I know this is a rough time for you. You missed out on a lot of fun stuff: senior trip, prom, visiting college/university campuses, last week of school of not wearing uniforms (s/o to my high school and others who had to wear uniforms) and lastly, graduation. I remember when I was graduating high school in 2016 and I couldn't wait to start the next phase of my life. Though the college search, and eventually decision, was stressful, it was still a fun process. I know it must have been hard to decide on a school since you couldn't physically visit the campus, but I hope that the virtual tours, if the university's website had one, could help you visualize what's campus life was like and can help you make a decision. In regards to prom, I hope the schools that you attended have a back-up day to host that special event or hope your family threw a special event or photo shoot.

Lastly, to my college graduates, we made it! College itself is stressful, but trying to balance that with what we have going on at home takes a lot. For some, it adds stress to our mental strength as home used to be a place for us to relax and sleep, but then it became a place for academics. Now we have overcame it and I will end it with this, don't let what your GPA looks like in the end brings the mood down, and that is for everyone in college no matter if you are a freshmen, sophomore or junior. Professors will understand that these past two months have been a lot and we all can not keep the same academic strength we had while we were on campus. We did it, we made it through the lion's gate and into the light.

Congratulations to the Class of 2020! We made it!