Items

• 2020-05-07

  COVID-19: The End of Freshman Year

  My name is Griffin, and I am currently a freshman at the University of Arizona. The Coronavirus outbreak definitely changed my life. I was on 2020 spring break in California, following the Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League Playoffs, and after a week of playing hockey and going to the beaches in California, I received an email; school was going to be online for the rest of the semester. I went back to campus, packed up my things, and headed home to Prescott, Arizona. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was sad to leave. I was leaving my new friends, my dorm, and my freshman experience behind. I hadn’t lived at home in months, since before the summer, so it was a weird transition. I felt like I was back in high school. As classes transferred to online, it seemed like the workload increased. Maybe it was because I was sleeping more and had less time, or maybe teachers just felt like they needed to increase the rigor. Either way, online classes were hard, but manageable. However, I definitely preferred in person classes. There were many disappointments with the outbreak. My hockey team received a bid to attend the national tournament in Florida, and we were planning our trip, but it was cancelled. I also had summer plans cancelled. I had a three week study abroad trip planned to China, which was canceled for obvious reasons. I also had a few job interviews for summer internships, but all the companies told me they were no longer hiring because of the outbreak. Now, I’m still unsure what I’ll be doing this summer. Luckily, I’ve been safe up in Prescott. My region has been relatively unaffected, with only about 100 cases of Coronavirus reported in my county. It’s one of the few perks of living in a small county. I still don’t know anyone who has been infected, but I hope it stays that way. For now, I’m just trying to stay healthy, and I’m hoping life can get back to normal. I want to be able to return to school, play hockey, and get a job. Hopefully all this can happen. I’m disappointed my freshman year ended so abruptly, but I’m grateful to be healthy.