COVID-19: REFLECTIONS IN TRANSITION

Mike Hidalgo, Asha Sandler, Hampton Facey, Jade Enyenihi

 
COVID-19 was something no one saw coming, including me. 

​I am a master’s candidate in Graduate School. 
While I am grateful for the opportunity to soon be finishing my degree,
 I also think about my future.
 
I wake up every day and try not to worry about my loved ones who are susceptible to COVID-19, my wife who is an essential worker or the state of the world as we know it. 
I try my best to do well at my jobs, and to be a strong student. I need to remain focused at this time of transition. I also try to reach out to as many people as I can. 
I miss Brooklyn, my home, and my people there. I miss my family – my niece especially. I miss hugs and I miss high fives. I miss driving and I miss the ocean. Most of all, I miss the sense of normalcy that a pandemic-free world gave me – for better or worst. 
I am happy for perspective, for knowing that that normalcy never really was, as it was just a shadow of reality. I am happy my parents and grandparents are still safe. I am happy that the world will heal. I am happy that not all connections are lost. 
I wonder how the youth development field will be in the months and years to come. I wonder if I can find my place in it all, especially since I am moving soon to a new place.
 
If I am honest, I am scared about not seeing people I love again before I move. I am scared of not finding work with so many things being on lockdown. I am scared of what comes next, and I am scared for the future of so many young people, even though I know they are resilient.
 
But I am the class of 2020, 
and I will use my education to benefit the next generation, no matter what obstacles there are.

I am a senior in high school. 
While I am grateful for my family's health and access to resources, I also think about my future. This is not the world I pictured being launched into.

I wake up every day and turn on my computer so I can get in touch with the rest of the world. Mondays through Fridays I have classes on Zoom. On weekends I do Zoom "dinners" with family. 
I try my best to maintain a work schedule, a sleep schedule, and a (virtual) social life, but I don't often succeed. 
I miss seeing my friends and teammates in the hallways, my eighth grade "little sibs" in homeroom, my teachers in class. I'm mourning all the senior traditions I won't get to experience: prom, graduation, our senior walkout, and more. I miss being a regular high school student. 
I am happy for the successes of my friends and classmates, even if we can't celebrate what our futures hold in person. 
I wonder if I will ever see the rest of my class again. I wonder how drastically our futures will shift as a result of this pandemic.
 
If I am honest, I am scared about what the next year holds for me. I don't know if colleges will be open come fall. I don't know if I'll be able to leave New York City. Right now, it's impossible to even try to plan.
 
But I am the class of 2020, 
and I will be graduating—an adult—this spring.

I am an eighth grader. 
While I am grateful for my family’s health,
 I also think about my future.

I wake up every day and want to go back to bed. 
I try my best to wake up early every day (unsuccessfully). 
I miss my friends.
I am happy for the fact that I don’t have to go outside. 
I wonder if things will get back to the way they were before COVID.

If I am honest, I am scared about
 My grandparents getting sick.
 
But I am the class of 2020, 
and I believe things will get better.

I am a fifth grader. 
While I am grateful for my family, 
 I also think about my future.

I wake up every day and pray.. 
I try my best to be a good friend. 
I miss being younger. 
I am happy for Mothers day. 
I wonder if I can still go to Florida over the summer.
 
If I am honest, I am scared about
the whole world dying.
 
But I am brave,  
and I will keep trying to stay healthy.