Of late, almost everyone in the world has in some way been affected by the pandemic, although it might be in different ways. Some might have been impacted by having to cancel a vacation, and others with business decline. Like many, I have experienced a huge change in how school has been as a student. The beginning of the pandemic was recorded to have started in late 2019 to early 2020. During this time, I was a freshman at a school in Elk Grove, California. It wasn’t until March 13th, 2020 that students, including me, were told in a newsletter we wouldn’t be returning to school. Except at the time the email was sent out, the severity of covid-19 wasn’t that high. Many students expected to be returning to school after spring break ended but with cases rising, that extended until school was supposed to be over anyways. Let’s just say, I wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
Distance learning was definitely a shift and a new experience for all of us. Many students in other districts had online classes where they would have online meetings with their teachers daily. But my district’s approach was less dependent on teachers themselves and students were expected to be more independent when it came to learning subjects. Although I had a test here and there for classes like honors biology and world geography, teachers thankfully didn’t overwhelm us with the concern of finals.
When summer finally began I took advantage of my three month break and dedicated my time to sleeping in and baking desserts. But one can only eat and sleep so much so I tried to figure out a way to spend my time a little more productively.
I began by researching ways to enroll in programs and internships that were similar to my career plans for the future. Surprisingly, writing this very article is one of them! Because a lot of events and even programs were unable to have people physically attend, many have decided to make it into a virtual program. Making quarantine a great way to utilize all the free time on our hands.
For students in middle school, high school, and even college, I’d recommend looking for internships or online volunteer opportunities that would be great to put on a resume. Dedicating your time to something you passionately enjoy while also being able to include it in your resume is a great benefit.
To sum it up, take advantage of your quarantine! It’s summer and I’d bet all of us had plans we intended to fulfil. But I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone. Everyone has been affected by the pandemic one way or another. It’s what you do in the meantime that matters. Just do what you think your future self would thank you for!
