If there is one characteristic I have noticed about the people in my age group during this pandemic, it is that we are resilient. Resilient in the way that we have been dealt an extremely difficult hand of cards, and we are dealing with it and forging on every single day.
I am a freshman, and I can attest to the way that the pandemic has been especially hard on those in my graduating class. We could never have known our last day of high school would be a random Thursday in March; but, what we really could not have predicted was that we would soon receive news that we would not have our proms, graduations, or senior trips.
For a while, it seemed like disappointment was inevitable; each day, learning one more experience or milestone would be canceled or taken away. I’ll be honest; my own naivety made these letdowns hurt so much more. I was naïve to believe that my high school would only be closed for two weeks for “deep cleaning” when the entire world would soon be dealing with months and months of hardship, heartache, and division. None of us could have foreseen the situation we have been dealing with since March. Even as events were canceled, I never imagined it would alter my first year of college.
Not only did we miss out on traditional “rites-of-passage,” but we have had to make the already difficult transition to college with lengthy restrictions, such as not having a move-in day the way we had planned, not being able to visit friends in other residence halls, and adjusting to the fact that most of our classes are online, something most of us have never experienced.
Beginning college is already strenuous on many students, but to start under such circumstances, and still thrive, speaks to the character of the students in the Cabrini community. Many of us came here, not knowing anyone else, not being able to meet our roommates earlier due to Covid-19 restrictions, some of us never even having visited the school before move-in day. We have persisted, adjusted, and we continue to evolve as our everchanging circumstances evolve.
Cabrini students are resilient, and each one deserves credit for carrying on and continuing to try to make a “new normal” out of something so bizarre and unforeseen. These years of our lives are already difficult and stressful, and we are now having to become advocates for ourselves in such trying times. Our resilience manifests itself every day, and I hope that spirit is something we, as a Cabrini family, never lose sight of.