This year was a lot different than I always expected it would be. While COVID-19 continued to make its way around the world and into my everyday life, it caused me to reevaluate a lot of my beliefs, and recognize the things I had always taken for granted. It has been a very scary time, but some amazing things came out of it and that is what I want to have immortalized on this ePortfolio. The pandemic stopped me from doing a lot of things I love, but with that came so much time to really delve into school. Assignments that I had previously just wanted to “get over with and get the grade” became actual opportunities for learning. The new screens in between me and my professors caused them to become more compassionate, and offer more resources to my peers and I for mental health services and tutoring. Being forced to stay in small groups meant that every moment with my friends and classmates was an intimate one, a stark contrast from Zoom webinars with hundreds of people, and allowed me to get to know new people better than I ever would.
The year taught me all about being proactive in reaching out to people, and being patient when others don’t show the same initiative. It did also teach me that some meetings really could just be an email. I spent more time outside, more time being active, and more time learning about what I truly love: the human body. The classes I took this semester all related to each other more than ever before, and within a few weeks I could see myself making all sorts of connections between them and my real life. I shared the knowledge I gained with everyone who was willing to listen, though I think my family is pretty tired of hearing about how much I know of the digestive system of a mink from anatomy dissections. I was also so lucky so be a part of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars Program, which gave me opportunities to volunteer and do service projects countless times throughout the year. Though I have lived and served in Columbus my whole life I don’t think I have ever felt this connected to the community! My Mount Legacy Week Projects in particular helped me to achieve that feeling.
There are a few things I don’t want to stay next year. Wearing a mask to run on the treadmill, never knowing how tall people actually are, having to say goodbye to my closest friends because they have to go into quarantine. But there are many more things that I do want to stay! Everyone working together for the greater good, movement upon movement for social change, prioritizing students’ health over their productivity, getting outdoors as often as possible, and so much more. It was a crazy year, but I most certainly wouldn’t change it for the world.
