It struck me like a bullet train, as a senior in high school I was excited to complete my final semester and reap all the rewards that I sowed. When COVID hit, it was like building up to a beat drop that no one had anticipated. The day before spring break, students were eager to relax and enjoy the week-long vacation, but we could not foresee it to be an extended 4 month long break. We didn’t know that it would be the last time we got to see each other in person before isolation.
The second half of March went by and there was still no indication of students coming back to school due to the increase of COVID 19 outbreaks. Deep in our hearts, senior high school students were distressed about their final year of high school. All the college applications, the scholarship essays, and the fear we felt at the thought of not having high school graduation.
March turned into April, which turned to May, and then before we knew it June. My hopes were high, but it was no longer realistic to dream of having traditional graduation.
In the midst of chaos, my school was able to establish a system of online learning for the remaining two months of school. At the time I was enrolled in a dual college credit class where I received college credits for taking the class in high school. The class was one of the only ones that continued as we were facing the beginnings of COVID. I also had to continue taking AP Calculus in a virtual platform because of my plan of taking the AP Exam in May.
It was a hard transition coming from spring break to finishing high school in the solidarity of my bedroom. My morale and motivation for completing schoolwork were rock bottom. Teachers attempted Zoom classes but we had many technical difficulties and students found it as an opportunity to be done with school altogether.
Photo byJulia M Cameron from Pexels .
It was especially hard for not only students but our teachers. While adjusting to Zoom calls, we would be lucky to have two students turn on their cameras during class. It was a very difficult transition that required a lot of participation and effort from both students and teachers.
It was especially hard for me to learn how to use Zoom and have the courage to be one of the few who turned on their cameras. Eventually, my high school found it was easier to give out everyone passing grades for students who got a C or higher before the spring break and extra help classes for students who were not passing prior.
In the beginnings of the COVID 19 crisis, there was more on my mind than just education. Both of my parents lost their jobs and being the daughter of immigrant parents, they weren’t diverse in online websites and technology therefore I had to figure out the unemployment system and filed both of my parents’ claims. Waiting on the phone for hours with unemployment officers is an essential step to experiencing a global pandemic.
Seeing how my parents have lost their income, I wanted to do my part and contribute to the family. I went online to search for some jobs that I could apply for, but my parents stopped me from working because of their fear that I would catch COVID. My plans were then put to a halt and I felt useless knowing that I could do so little to help. With the abrupt stop in learning and the lack of productivity that I was used to everyday from school, I felt lost and unmotivated.
Eventually, as August came to a close, it was my time to start my first year of college. To say it was a hard transition is an understatement. Orientation week, to put in the simplest of words, a mess. I had so much trouble adjusting myself to a whole new school system of online websites and resources. I quickly became acquainted with Moodle which is the platform that my school uses for all of our school’s classes and assignments.
In an attempt at configuring myself to the school, I searched up the career center and made myself an appointment with an advisor that could nudge me in the right direction. I successfully went through with the appointment which was held on Zoom, and this got me started with reformatting my resume and introducing me to connection apps such as Handshake and LinkedIn. From there I was encouraged to make an account and it was my introduction to college and adulting which was all done virtually.
The first few weeks of college was a rocky start for me. I was enrolled in an upper level class despite being a freshman because of all the credits I had collected from high school. Not only was it difficult for me to make friends being in a new school online, I was the only freshman student in the class. Eventually, I figured out my rhythm of learning and gaining and understanding of my professor’s teaching style. The thing that helped me out the most in my adaptation to online learning was my planner.
At first I had a simple journal where I made to-do lists for everyday, but once I took a scrap notebook and made monthly spreads of my assignments, I thrived. I found that it was especially difficult to keep track of all my deadlines and assignments so establishing an organizational system now will only help me be a better student in the future, pandemic or no pandemic.
Around the eighth week of college, I became an expert at online schooling. I memorized my class schedule, my professor's name, and always had my camera on in class. Although finding the motivation to study alone and make new friends was tough for me, I did manage to form a few connections with classmates who’s schedule was similar to mine. We would occasionally text each other clarifying questions about class, joke around in breakout rooms, and feel each other’s panic when a deadline is near.
Although it may sound silly later on when COVID is over, I feel that I have comfortably adapted to distance learning. I sought out resources and opportunities that allowed me to be a part of my school’s first generation student program. I am also a member of many of my school’s clubs which includes: Vietnamese Student Association, Student Nursing Association, and a bullet journaling club to help me relax and enjoy my hobby.
After completing a successful semester of nursing school, online at that, I learned that it is incredibly important to take care of myself and take breaks in between the chaos. To avoid burning out, I treated myself to a movie, a power nap, or a nice fudgy brownie after completing an assignment. I would say this realization was one of the things that kept me going through the downs of distance learning. There will be a day when I get to walk my first steps as a university student on campus, but for right now, I am doing well with distance learning and it is good to know that we are keeping each other safe by staying at home.
US Premium Health Scholarship ' January 31 2021 Winner Essay
Name: Vy Nguyen
