As Dr. Seuss once said, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” I don’t think there is a better quote to describe the class of 2020’s abrupt ending to our senior year. 

The times we are living in are not easy or simple ones. On a ‘normal’ day I would wake up, have coffee, be occupied in school for eight hours, work at my marketing internship, come home to do homework, eat, workout, shower, and sleep. And then I would do it all again the next day. Until Covid-19 hit. 

I remember walking through the halls after the 2:15pm bell rang on March 13th. I usually would rush to my car to just leave, but despite the excitement of having a break from spending 8 hours a day in the building, myself, best friend, sister, and brother all stayed back for a few moments. Little did I know that that moment of clearing my stuff from my locker and walking through the glass hallway would be my last. As we left the building, helping my brother carry his three band instruments, rather than be embarrassed as I hauled the heavy instruments across the crowded parking lot, I vividly remember thinking to myself, “It’s not a big deal. Life can be simple. We all overcomplicate and overthink things nobody else really cares about.” 

On that warm March day, I thought that I would be back to my usual busy routine within a month and that Coronavirus would just be another bump in the road. I was so wrong. My entire senior class’s senior year got cut off so short. I never got to say the goodbyes I wanted to, thank the teachers that have shaped me, or even complain with my friends about how the school still does not have air conditioning. Over the past few months in quarantine, that thought I had while leaving school on March 13th has followed me as I continue to learn from it. Life can be simple. 

In fifty years from now, history teachers will be warning their students about how long and crazy of a chapter the year 2020 is. Movie producers will be filming a blockbuster action film that seems like it could be a Black Mirror episode. The future is being written now. We are a memorable class that will go down in history. Eventually life will go to a new normal and will find a way to recomplicate itself in a different way. 

For now, let’s recognize the history that has been made this year. 

Eastern’s mission statement states its goal as to “inspire and prepare life-long learners who contribute to society as caring, productive, and responsible individuals.” The situation that the class of 2020 has been presented with during this pandemic has been a test of just how well Eastern has prepared us. 

When asked what is your hope for the class of 2020, Dr. Tull responded “It is my hope that you embrace a  belief in positive thought, commitment to exemplary work, service to your community and deliberate acts to improve the wellbeing of others, in your journey towards success.”

Despite an abrupt ending to senior year, class of 2020 will thrive on, just as Eastern has taught us to these past four years.

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Samantha Frankel