Items

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  2020-03-20

  COVID kicked me off of my campus

  Around mid-March, all of the students of my college received an email that on-ground instruction had been suspended and that we all had 48 hours to leave campus.
• 2020-10-26

  A Short Review of My COVID-19 Experience

  Everything started at my job at my school’s pool, when one of my bosses told me that the district shut down my school. I was a little surprised, but I got back to work, it was off season and the pool wasn’t going to watch itself. The smell of Chlorine and chemicals was slightly comforting, since at least I still had work, which was something to do during these strange times. But over time there was more talk from my job’s higher ups about shutting down the pool, and two weeks after school closed, my job did as well. Now the only thing I could do was lay around my house, listen to the news and my family stuck in our home. Online school starting up was the worst though, having to sit there and listen to teachers yell at us over due dates even though I wasn’t paying attention to what day it was, everything was just a blur. Finally, it was summer, instead of sitting outside and listening to the birds chirping or smelling a nice barbecue, I was stuck inside, with nothing to do. In June, after almost three months, my work returned! Back to Chlorine and Hand Sanitizer, it was the first time I’d seen any of my friends in person, we stayed safe and far away, but it was good to be in the same room as them. And as quickly as Summer came it left, and we were back to school, well digitally back to school. it's much better than earlier this year. But it didn’t help that during the first week of school we got huge fires, it didn’t affect my schoolwork but it did affect my work, I spent two weeks on and off at work, only smelling smoke and seeing the orange sky and red sun. Now things have gotten better, I still work, I still go to school, and I’m a year older than I was before. Hopefully, things will keep getting better.
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  2020-05-15

  AP US History Exam Celebration Social Distance-Style

  The day of the AP exam is usually a huge celebration, where I decorate the room for a giant pre-party, with every kids' name on the wall, cupcakes, brownies, balloons, confetti - the works. It is always a surprise for them - then we take a picture in our matching t-shirts, they go test, and afterwards (around lunch), they come back and we have a post party. This year, this could not happen. I made each of my 175 students a TikTok, and then we had a zoom after the test. The celebration is usually one of my favorite days of the year, as it is so important to me to celebrate my kids' achievement, regardless of what the score says in July. It feels so empty not having that moment together.
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  2020-05-31

  Missing The Real World

  These past months were mentally and physically draining for me. This pandemic has ruined relationships but also founded new relationships with new people. I miss school, I miss being in class, and I miss seeing my friends. Being at home all day and not being able to see my friend has taken a toll on me and has made me feel so lonely like freshman year when I was new to public school. This pandemic has made me realize that school is awesome. The idea of being able to learn through teacher-student interactions and friends has made me miss school even more. Not only school, but, sports. Being a huge NBA fan, my favorite player will always be Lebron James and hearing the head director of the NBA saying that the season will most likely be postponed has hurt me emotionally because I would love to see Lebron raise that trophy and scream "this is for you kobe." It also sucks knowing one of the best parts in life which is high school, is being postponed due to a virus.
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  2020-05-31

  A Time For Reflection

  Like everybody else, I have recently spent the majority of my days at home. I can say that I have had my fair share of ups and downs, some that I never even saw coming, but I think that there is a lot that I can take from my time in isolation. Of course, I really miss some things about my normal life such as talking to my friends every day at school and practicing for my school's track and field team, but in the end, I realize that I have to fix my head onto the present and do what I need to do right now until the whole COVID-19 pandemic blows over. I joined my school's track and field jumps team this year, and as season approached, I was stoked to see where my performance would stand. I actually felt as if I had found a hobby that I genuinely enjoyed doing, and even better, it was productive too. Its hard knowing that something so out of my control impacted my life as well as the lives of those around me so much, but at the same time, I have to remember that there are countless other people that have it way worse than I do. I would say that I am upset about not being able to experience track season this year, but I can always look forward to the next, or at least the possibly of there being a "next season". As for some other student athletes, they have it worse. Many seniors did not get to have their final moments in their athletic career, and worse, they won't get the graduation they looked forward to. It is sad when you realize that so many people have been affected by this pandemic, but it is important to look forward in the face of adversity. I admit that I spent way too much time complaining about what I won't get to experience because of the corona virus, but I recently began to see the lesson that this quarantine is trying to teach me, to teach all of us. For anyone awake during these uncertain times, it seems as if the year somehow gets worse and worse every month. As disaster rears its head, we must act appropriately in order to turn each moment of misfortune into a learning experience. I am grateful for what this quarantine has helped me realize, because with all of this time reflecting, I feel like I was given the time to really think about my past and my regrets. It would have been easy for me to say that this pandemic has made me miserable, but I want to bring light to such a dark time by acknowledging the positives I have been obtaining from this quarantine. Although many of us have lost a lot, there is always hope for new opportunities in the future.
• 2020-05-07

  Junior at Home

  This pandemic had completely changed my lifestyle, but I'm not complaining entirely. Yes, staying at home is difficult but it has made my relationship with my parents much better as we often spend more time with each other instead of being caught of with work, school, or other activities. It would definitely be nice to get out and not have to worry about our favorite restaurants being closed or simple errands. Being at home also changed the usual rigor of an AP student as courses, lessons, and projects have to accommodate "at-home-learning". Just really hoping my loved ones remain safe and that the pandemic would end soon so we could focus our attention on more pressing domestic issues. #BLM
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  2020-05-31

  Life in Quarantine As A Student

  In the picture, I have my laptop and notebooks next to me. I am sitting on the kitchen table, which I share with two brothers as we do not have private spaces to work. Countless students, including myself, are feeling disadvantaged in quarantine. Succeeding academically, as well as balancing school and outside responsibilities, is especially difficult when there is no physical separation between home and school.
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  2020-05-31

  Reflection From a High School Student

  As an Asian American, attacks like these are infuriating and spread only hate and racism. My family and I are scared to go out because we are afraid something like this would happen. In today's society, racial inequality and xenophobia still exist. This pandemic is worsening the tensions that are already occurring. In addition to this, there are many riots and protests that are happening near my neighborhood due to the death of George Floyd. My social media is filled with the Black Lives Matter Movement and many horrific actions that are taking place. As a high school student, I thought I would only have to worry about AP exams, virtual prom, and online schooling. However, there are so many concerning issues and violent events that I can't ignore. Everything feels surreal and absolutely crazy.
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  2020-05-31

  Missing You

  With the COVID-19 pandemic that has lasted for a few months now, keeping in touch with my friends and family has been hard. We are all stuck inside and I can’t reach out to my friends and it’s hard to not feel connected in my social life. My friends and I stay connected by calling each other on Facetime at times. This picture was captured during one of our calls when we watched my friend Emely cut her hair. Even though we stay connected by calling each other on Facetime, it doesn’t feel the same and I miss in-person interaction. My daily-life isn’t as productive with school now being online based. I miss seeing my teachers who I love even though I was complain about not wanting to go to school. I miss being able to go outside without feeling suffocated in a mask. I miss going out to places with my friends. Being in quarantine has made me notice how not being at school for this long has affected me. Being by myself has made me feel discourage and I’ve realized that I rely on my friends to make my days happy. I’ve noticed that some friendships I made rely solely on common classes and in-person interaction and now that I can’t do that those friendships have started to fade. It’s sad that had happen, but at least I have some strong friendships that will last even when we hardly interact with one another. Even though it’s tough see my friends and my family, we should know that it’s important to keep social distancing. Going to eat with friend and going to beaches surrounded by a lot of people’s would just increase the number of cases. It doesn’t just out your own health at risk, but the people that you’ve come into contact with would be at risk as well. At this moment, it’s important to keep in mind that we need to take care of those you love by staying away. I know it may be hard, but it’s for the best !
• 
  2020-05-30

  AP Tests

  All year my classmates and I have studied and worked in order to ace the AP tests. However due to quarantine we were unable to take the normal AP tests and had to take the online version. One year of work was graded with 1-2 essay(s) which is completely unfair. Due to the essays covering only a small portion of the year my classmates and I were annoyed. During the actual tests there were different prompts, all varying in difficulty, which is unfair. Many people often had trouble with the whole experience and there are several classmates that have to retake the test. The AP tests this year was a doozy yet I’m glad it is over. Hopefully a vaccine comes out soon and this pandemic ends because the future looks so hopeless.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Stay Connected with Friends

  During this quarantine, my friends and I felt sadden that we were not able to see each other day to day anymore. We missed the company and speaking to each other face to face again. In order to stay connected to made several Tik Tok's together to pass the time. It was so fun to see the final product and have fun together again. During this pandemic it is really hard to go without company. Even with my family there seems to be something missing and that is my friends. Friends are everything and you must stay in contact no matter what or friendships are going to be difficult to keep up with.