Workers at BYU-Hawaii's COVID-19 NOMA testing center prepare for students, staff and faculty to arrive for their weekly testing during the Spring and Summer of 2021.
Positive lessons learned
Students who got COVID-19 say the grew through their challenges BY MEGAN GAMIL
B
YU–Hawaii students who tested positive with COVID-19 said there is a purpose for why this happened to them. They said their trials of faith were opportunities for them to grow. The pandemic also helped them realize how important relationships are in overcoming challenges in life, they said. Julius Such, a sophomore who is from the Philippines, said he thought COVID-19 was just exaggerated news to scare people and make business. “My wife and I got married two days before we came to Hawaii. Then I got COVID-19. I experienced all the symptoms. I had shortness of breath and it was scary. I have never been this sick before,” he explained. Such said he couldn’t sleep because he coughed a lot. Such said his experience taught him to be extra careful. “It taught me how much my wife loves me. She was more trau-
matized than I did when I was sick,” he added. Such said his relationship with his wife grew especially when they had to quarantine separately. Such added, “I needed to take care of myself more because someone cares a lot about me.” After contracting COVID-19, Jennifer Hachuela Levine, a senior studying hospitality and tourism management, said, “COVID-19 was threatening because I felt uncertain.” Levine said she didn’t know what to do and where to go when the school encouraged them to go back to their home countries. Levine said COVID-19 changed her perspective. “There will always be opportunities along the way,” Levine said, adding the pandemic was and will never be a hindrance to developing more skills and talents. Christine Chuah, a senior from Malaysia studying social work, said when the pandemic
started, the university administrators wanted students to go home or go to stay with family or friends. “My sister and I decided to stay with our friends in Utah because our borders in Malaysia were closed,” she explained. Chuah said they stayed in Utah for two months and had to move again because the space wasn’t big enough for all of them. However, Chuah said she thought COVID-19 was just the normal flu. “I never expected things would get this worse.” Chuah said she tested positive for COVID-19 and is a witness to what the virus can do to the body. “I realized that the pandemic was necessary to change me. I learned to appreciate the little things and treat my loved ones as if it’s my last day with them,” Chuah added. •
M E D I A W R I T I N G FA LL 2021 31
