By Reaghan Grobe and Nadia Nemeth
After COVID-19 cut senior year short for 2020 graduates all over the country, most seniors believed that the pandemic would be under control by fall. Unfortunately, cases continued to rise, and many colleges decided that a virtual fall semester was the safest option. (some are even planning a hybrid...check on that in January)
Back in the spring, Great Valley High School was forced to adapt a virtual learning model. It was initially supposed to last until the beginning of April, but by May, virtual learning became the new normal and planning for a virtual graduation was underway.
A virtual graduation meant that Great Valley’s class of 2020 was robbed of the graduation they had been looking forward to for twelve years. The virtual graduation was not a live ceremony, but a YouTube video that could be streamed at any time.
Clio Roker, a 2020 graduate of Great Valley, held a small graduation celebration with her immediate family to watch the virtual ceremony.
“It was kind of weird...like ‘Dang I just graduated high school’...but I was still happy,” said Roker.
Her fellow classmate David Nemeth had similar experiences.
“I remember walking into graduation: my cap and gown on with Pomp and Circumstance playing just like a normal graduation, only I was walking through my grandparents' house into their living room,” said Nemeth.
The transition from high school to college has not been any easier. Nemeth, who is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in mechanical engineering, admits that school has been “pretty tough and has not been made easier as online courses.”
He explained that he is forced to complete labs for his classes in his own house. He must interpret data that’s been pre-recorded, rather than doing it in the university lab.
“It’s pretty hard considering what would be normal,” explained Nemeth, “It’s definitely a challenge to pay attention to the online classes and still get good grades.”
In contrast, Roker is living on-campus at Penn State University. Following a hybrid model, she takes one in-person class and all the other classes are online. Roker’s in-person class requires a face mask and is limited in numbers to enforce social distancing.
In online classes, Roker’s professors have been struggling keeping classes engaged. One, her professors have constructed more break-out rooms to allow students to work cooperatively with each other. And some professors have also invited guest speakers to seek out new perspectives and voices.
When in class or anywhere on campus, Penn State students must wear a mask. When visiting friends in their own dorm rooms, there is a four people maximum policy. Also, students are not permitted to visit friends outside of their own dorm. To get food, Roker goes to the Commons for the buffet, or she orders online for pick up at local restaurants.
Maddi Segarnick, a fellow 2020 graduate, is on the rowing team at Syracuse University. Segarnick’s team is split into four groups of ten, and each group lives together in apartments south of main campus. Each pod is quarantining together, but everyone has signed a contract agreeing to wear a mask around anyone outside of their pod, and they are required to take COVID tests every week.
This season, there are no competitions, but the team has a practice schedule to maintain. Practice begins with masks on and temperature checks. Once active practicing starts, they remove their masks. Then, when practice is over the team must wear masks and the clean the equipment. The clean-up procedure includes washing the boats, bleaching the oars, and bleaching their cleaning materials. Finally, they leave and go home via the bus.
Obviously, this experience with being locked down leaves a very open future that seems vast and scary, but our 2020 graduates are ready for a fresh start and a brighter tomorrow.
“Next semester will probably be a little similar, but in the future, you know, I’m hoping for a normal experience like in person football and joining clubs," predicted Roker. "It can only go up from here.”
Roker’s positive spirit is also reflected in Segarnick’s and Nemeth’s comments.
“The spring will hopefully be a little more relaxed than it is now but not completely normal. And then, resuming next fall with hopefully a normal situation. I expect campus to go back to its lively self," reassured Segarnick, "I’m looking forward to having complete in person classes and complete access to the facilities as a student athlete.”
“I think going to college after what we just experienced will make us appreciate the whole atmosphere a lot more,” admitted Nemeth. “Being home is pretty nice, but once all the college students get back together on campus, it will be exciting.”
Their whole graduating class of 2020 has been rolling with some serious punches. But if a pandemic cannot shake them, we cannot imagine what can.