Dear Class of 2020

As a high school senior, I am mind blown, about what is going on. It breaks my heart not only for everyone in school but for the class of 2020. I know, a lot of us are realizing how boring it is to be stuck home, ALL DAY. I know most of you miss your friends and the big events you were so excited to finally experience. Such as, nervously exchanging corsages with your prom date in front of family and friends, or walking down a row of lockers to your friends' hangout spot. We were so ready to walk down that stage, look into the crowd and see our families waving, smiling, crying, yelling your name, and being handed your diploma, and being able to walk into the next chapter of your life with no worries. We won't be able to physically walk down that stage, and shake your principal's hand. You won't be able to hug your friends tight on that special day, or on senior night. it is so much more than the traditions. It's actually being able to live in those moments. High school is where you learn what sort of person you'd like to be, both inside and outside the classroom. These Zoom meetings are harder to engage with others. Talking to your buddies over an Xbox headset isn't the same as seeing them in person. Something that I do know for certain, is that we will all learn lessons from social distancing that you will carry with you for the rest of your life. Obviously, it doesn't feel like it right now. And I am certain it doesn't feel that way when you're at home watching reruns, and being stuck home with your parents, rather than soaking up the remainder of childhood with your friends. I'm sure we all feel restless and so so bored. But to be honest, people are getting so sick from COVID-19, and thousands are dying from this virus. This is a very serious and defining moment in history that we are all living through. In the future, you will talk about this, for the rest of your life. By doing OUR part, and staying home, we are helping heal the world, one step at a time. And that is a very big deal. but when we are all able to come together again, it will feel more special than you had ever imagined. You and your classmates have all gone through something so unforgettable, and even though it won't be the happy memories you previously anticipated, it will be so much more than that. Now, going forward, us seniors will look back on this time in history, and realize that we were the class that faced distinctive challenges right as we were entering the adult world. We will be a new wave of thinkers that approaches challenges differently than those before us. We won't take relationships for granted. I can't wait to see what we will do with the lessons we have learned from this pandemic. There must be a reason why we're graduating in such a numerically balanced year; class of 2020, we'll be a prolific generation.