It was a day like any other day at the time. March 11th, 2020. A day the entire world will
never forget, including myself. The entire world declared a public health emergency from a new
virus plaguing the world, the Coronavirus (COVID-19). I was a senior at Academy Park High
School, getting ready to graduate and transition from high school to college life. When the news
broke that everybody had to stay home and finish the rest of the year at home. I felt very happy
that I did not have to see any of those rude, annoying, unprofessional and self-centered students
and staff members ever again.
Then came the real challenge of trying to finish my last year of
high school and keeping my mental health intact during this unprecedented time in my life.
My mental health was already on the decline ever since my junior year of high school.
My high school was utter garbage ever since I became a freshman in high school and still is to
this day. I was already diagnosed with anxiety and depression and the pandemic added more
frustration. I had to sit at home while learning from a laptop by watching asynchronous videos of
subjects I did not learn in my high school classes. The work was way above my head to
comprehend what I was trying to learn at the time. Also, while I was struggling mentally and
academically at home during the pandemic, I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I was on the
verge of graduating from high school and had the opportunity to apply to Temple University because of family connection and the benefit of having free financial tuition remission for ten
semesters was the way to go for me.
A few months have passed since the start of the pandemic. I was doing all my
schoolwork asynchronously online without meeting any of my teachers. My main focus was to
stay the course, get my education and graduate on time. Later, I leaned that the online course
work that all the students were doing would not count towards the final grade. I felt relieved
because I did not understand the material being taught. The school community did not know how
to handle online education and my interest in learning declined during this time. I couldn’t wait
to escape the daily grind of watching videos and I turned to playing a lot of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and
isolating myself even more.
By the time my high school graduation rolled around, my high school did the most
insulting thing that I’ve ever seen. All the students had to dress up in caps and gowns and say
their names in front of a video camera, because of the pandemic lockdown, to be played during
an online graduation ceremony. Graduation was a non-traditional drive-by around the parking lot
(like we were in a drive through restaurant) waiting for our diplomas and followed by an intimate
celebration with family for the class of 2020. This graduation did not sit well with me. This
entire graduation ceremony felt like a huge slap in the face to me. After twelve years of school
and some mental health struggles that I had to endure, I felt like it was all for nothing because of
this stupid pandemic, that we couldn’t control. After the ceremony was over, I waited a few
harder felt months until my time at Temple University started. It was a hard and frustrating point
to get to where I am right now. I was excited to open the acceptance letter in the mail. I felt very happy and proud that I got accepted to my father’s alma mater. I wanted my transition from high school to college and
erase the bad memories. However, for the start of the fall 2020 semester, we were still learning
online. The pandemic disrupted what would have been my first semester at Temple on the main
campus in Philadelphia. I wanted to experience interacting with students who wanted to learn
and not be reminded of the chaos I endured at high school. Unfortunately, I had remote learning
again and I felt isolated and alone with the lack of in-person interaction and social support. I felt
like I wasn’t understanding the material much and was afraid to speak up and ask questions. My
concentration during remote learning had decreased over the semester and I also noticed that a
lot of students would not turn on their cameras and this made class less engaging and hard to
meet people.
When I was finally able to head to Philadelphia for in-person learning, there was yet
another pause. For the first three weeks of the semester, we had to study virtually due to the rise
of COVID cases. I had to take a lot of health precautions and get a booster shot and wear a
surgical mask or KN95 mask to return to in-person learning. I also had to upload proof of my
vaccines in order to enter buildings on campus. There were a lot of mixed emotions about
attending in-person classes. I was excited to be on campus and happy that the university was
taking the necessary steps to keep us all safe. However, it was still all distraction for me and at
times, I felt overwhelmed, stressed and anxious and this led me to yet another hospital stay. I
had to get help and put my education on hold for a bit. So, my Philadelphia story is not a positive
one.
During my absence from school, I was getting therapy and needed to find something to
do with the extra time on my hand. I started to look for work and found a job in Philadelphia. I was excited to open the acceptance letter in the mail. I felt very happy and proud that I
got accepted to my father’s alma mater. I wanted my transition from high school to college and
erase the bad memories. However, for the start of the fall 2020 semester, we were still learning
online. The pandemic disrupted what would have been my first semester at Temple on the main
campus in Philadelphia. I wanted to experience interacting with students who wanted to learn
and not be reminded of the chaos I endured at high school. Unfortunately, I had remote learning
again and I felt isolated and alone with the lack of in-person interaction and social support. I felt
like I wasn’t understanding the material much and was afraid to speak up and ask questions. My
concentration during remote learning had decreased over the semester and I also noticed that a
lot of students would not turn on their cameras and this made class less engaging and hard to
meet people.
When I was finally able to head to Philadelphia for in-person learning, there was yet
another pause. For the first three weeks of the semester, we had to study virtually due to the rise
of COVID cases. I had to take a lot of health precautions and get a booster shot and wear a
surgical mask or KN95 mask to return to in-person learning. I also had to upload proof of my
vaccines in order to enter buildings on campus. There were a lot of mixed emotions about
attending in-person classes. I was excited to be on campus and happy that the university was
taking the necessary steps to keep us all safe. However, it was still all distraction for me and at
times, I felt overwhelmed, stressed and anxious and this led me to yet another hospital stay. I
had to get help and put my education on hold for a bit. So, my Philadelphia story is not a positive
one.
During my absence from school, I was getting therapy and needed to find something to
do with the extra time on my hand. I started to look for work and found a job in Philadelphia. I had to commute to my job by public transportation. The smell of marijuana would make me sick
to my stomach and people on the train looked so unwelcome and suspicious. Also, people would
play hateful and loud rap music because they simply did not care. Which made train rides even
more unsafe for me and on edge most of the time. I had to learn to adapt to the unpleasant noises
and smells along with blending in how people usually act on public transportation.
After a couple of months of trying to find and maintain work. I concluded going back to
Temple University to get my bachelor’s degree in media studies and production. I need some
degree to survive today’s world that is filled with a problematic society and inflation prices.
When I got back to Temple University, everything just did not feel the same anymore. No
friends, no relationship, and barely any support towards me. All of that did change in the coming
years ahead.
I managed to find a group of people that care about my achievements. Along with finding
a girlfriend who really understands what I am talking about most of the time. I saw the city of
Philadelphia come together and alive when the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX this year. I am on
the verge of graduating from the college I always wanted to attend when I was a little kid. I have
come a long way from the COVID-19 pandemic and in general with my mental health struggles.
I just hope I can have a well-rounded and educated future in a city that I hate and grew up my
entire life around.
Pandemic Learning Loss: How Covid-19 Academically Impacted College Students
https://www.bestcolleges.com/research/pandemic-learning-loss/
Temple University to restore in-person instruction this
fall amid a ‘vibrant campus experience’
https://www.phillyvoice.com/temple-university-fall-2021-semester-in-person/
We Only Lasted A Week’: Some Temple University Students
Move Out Of Dorm Rooms After COVID-19 Outbreak
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/we-only-lasted-a-week-some-temple-university-
students-move-out-of-dorm-rooms-after-covid-19-outbreak/
Temple confirms return to in-person classes, tightens mask guidelines
https://temple-news.com/temple-confirms-return-to-in-person-classes-tightens-mask-guidelines/