Alina Panek ‘20 is one of more than 2,300 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### students who cut short their campus experience in the Spring of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. She and her fellow classmates also missed their in-person Commencement, which will be rescheduled. Panek, a President’s Medalist, shares her thoughts on her time at 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### and her feelings about graduating into a pandemic.
In my mind, there was no way that a small, liberal arts school would be closing campus for a pandemic when we were safe on The Hill, in the small village of Granville, especially not when I had less than half a semester to go for graduation.
The sacrifice of accepting that both my senior spring break plans and my speaking opportunity in New York city for a college media conference were canceled seemed acceptable if it meant that I would be able to return to school, finish up and hang out with my friends for the last time.
My 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### career felt like I had spent three years setting up dominoes in a line, carefully planning for graduation at the end, and naughty brat COVID-19 knocked it over before I was ready.
Many opportunities had to align for me to arrive in Central Ohio. A first-generation student from Chicago, I could see my future unfolding around me as my parents and my sister drove me to West Quad. I understood what stood at stake here. There were many opportunities for me to grow, but I also knew that I would have to be doing a lot of this on my own.
The inspirational speeches given at our Induction made my heart feel bright and my shoulders heavy, excited for the years ahead. After Induction, I saw my dad shed a few tears, which in turn made me cry too, knowing that this would be a while until I would get to see them again.
When classes started, a picture of my parents along with the tassel I was given at Induction hung on my desk, promising graduation will be a success worth it all. I used these as a guiding principle for challenges I would face at 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 #########, I grew from the successes and adversity that I faced.
Faced with many scary new things, I co-founded and led 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 #########’s First Generation Network, so first-generation students can learn from each other and get support that only friends and peers can give. With many possibilities to study, I focused my energy on a subject that made me feel alive. I became Editor of the 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 #########ian and found a new family on the editorial board as passionate as I am. I am an entirely different person than the 18-year-old my parents dropped off at Smith Hall in 2016.
In March, I was overjoyed to hear that President Adam Weinberg promised there would still be graduation, a celebration I sorely needed. It was the glimmer of hope that I needed while chugging through my assignments, scraping the bottom of my barrel for motivation. 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### also went above and beyond caring for their students financially, not only providing emergency grants for travel home but also stipends for work-study students, which allowed me to focus on job-hunting.
It is hard to imagine that it might be months until I can hug my friends again (maybe years until I see my international ones, gulp). I’ve been sustaining myself with Zoom calls, group chats, and virtual birthday parties in the meantime. I’m grateful for the experience that the 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### community has granted me, even if it was taken way too soon.
Graduating into a pandemic is terrifying. No doubt about that. The encouragement that I needed has been provided by so many, 必博娱乐,比博娱乐网址 ######### professors, staff, and others have made venturing out into this new and scary world a little easier. Living through a historical moment sucks but it teaches an important lesson, there’s so little that is promised in life.
I know one thing for sure, I’ll never take walking on campus for granted again.
