My pandemic summer - reflections from a high school student

Any other year there would be a plethora of back to school ads bombarding the internet. However, with the 5 million confirmed covid cases in America, the nation has higher priorities than concluding summer. As schools begin to reopen in a hybrid fashion, students are preparing their masks for what could only be a one of a kind 2020/2021 school year. With no markers of beginning or end, summer’s novelty has worn into an inescapable lazy-day for many teenagers.

 Personally, I have not found my summer to be lazy-day esc. As an incoming high school senior, the stress of SAT, ACT, and AP testing has increased incredibly. With testing being moved to the home and dates changing almost as quickly as they come, college prep has become a much larger hassle than normal.

Aside from the preparation of my and many others' futures, this summer has presented numerous challenges that, without corona, would have never existed. According to my friend Eben, who is 16-years-old, working has become a “struggle” as staff are expected to “wear a mask for 4-8 hours straight.” While many Americans have the luxury of working from home during this period in history, teenagers must continue their part time jobs with the addition of proper protection. Although every peer I spoke to agrees that it is important to take the necessary precautions, this can be difficult while working long shifts in the summer heat.

To supplement, the fear this pandemic has instilled has greatly impacted my summer, and I assume the summer of many others. Everytime a family member or friend gets sick there is a looming worry that it could be covid. The fear of catching and distributing this disease reaches a peak during these times.

 As my grandmother cusps her 9th decade, my worry increases for her safety. To lessen the fear of spreading corona to those in more danger than us, social distancing has become the countries top priority. I am in every way an introvert. Yet, after almost six months without much human interaction, I find myself missing the interactions of everyday life. This summer has reminded me to constantly put others before myself, even at my own inconvenience.

This induced personal growth is a necessary lesson for me as I head into my last year of high school. I hope that in our seclusion, we have all taken some time to truly think about how Covid-19 has positively and negatively impacted our lives.