And others had advice for this year’s area high school seniors, who while many are able to attend in-person classes, are still experiencing losses of a wide arrange of school activities compared to pre-pandemic times.
“It was so surreal and unexpected. At first I was numb to it because I couldn’t grasp on to the idea my senior year was taken away from me. I wasn’t going to get my last prom and all the memories I would have made.” — Mayalina Albaddawi, 2020 Monroe High School graduate who is now a freshman at Miami University.
“It seemed barren. I got to walk around the track, so that was a little disappointing. It’s sad I didn’t get the chance to” have a traditional graduation with hundreds of classmates indoors. — Jabari Ashford, Fairfield High School 2020 graduate, of his family-only outdoor graduation in Fairfield Stadium.
“It was definitely a blow. Everything was normal (in early March) and then we had no school (live classes). It was difficult and everything was different in how we did school. Disappointed is definitely the word for it because there were so many things I was looking forward to.” — Nathan Schuster, 2020 Badin High School graduate.
“Try new things, getting out of your comfort zone and staying in touch with my family and friends. The most important thing through all of this is you are not alone.” — Mayalina Albaddawi, on advice to the Class of 2021
“Definitely keep to a schedule setting certain times to do things. And try to do other activities to keep your spirits up. For me, working out helped a lot.” — Jabari Ashford, on advice to the Class of 2021.
“They are super lucky they get to go to school. There are a lot of high schools in the U.S. that aren’t going to school.” — Nathan Schuster, on the Class of 2021.
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