A senior’s perspective

How COVID-19 altered my college experience

Doti

Michael

It was March 15, 2019, and I was beyond excited to have been accepted into the University of Georgia, which was one of my top schools I applied to. Fast forward to the end of April, and I chose to go to UGA for the next four years.

Being a reserved kid from upstate New York, I was super excited for the new adventure. I was ready to adjust to the southern lifestyle, live far away from home and make plenty of new friends.

I was the only kid from my graduating class to choose Georgia, so I had a completely clean slate. Thankfully, my randomly assigned roommate went to high school in Fulton County, and most of his friend group also went to UGA. Therefore, I was lucky enough to already be welcomed into a decent-sized group of friends.

As an intended journalism major, there were plenty of opportunities for me to get involved in before being accepted into Grady. Oddly enough, The Red & Black was the last extracurricular organization I got involved in. Through the other extracurriculars, I made valuable friends and contacts with people in Grady, and they were impressed I was so involved at such a young age.

I was having a blast freshman year, and by the time March rolled around—although I was bummed it was coming to an end—I was super excited because I had a lot of fun plans after spring break.

It is a bit weird how the world works sometimes. I went home for spring break, and I was on my way back from Stew Leonard’s with my mother. She was talking about how quickly the break was going along, and she was sad I would have to go back in a few days. Later that same day, COVID-19 began its global takeover.

Within a few days, spring break went from a week long, to three weeks long, to five months long. Monday night, March 16, 2020, I got the email from Archnews, stating no one was allowed to return to UGA for the rest of the spring semester.

A few hours had passed, and I was just shocked. Quickly that shock turned into devastation. I was having the time of my life at college, and suddenly, I wasn’t allowed to come back. I was just crushed.

Thankfully the sadness didn’t last too long, because I was only a freshman, and I still had three normal years ahead of me. That turned out not to be the case.

It was March 26, and I had returned to Athens. Instead of spending the weekend celebrating my roommate’s birthday and then going to tour CNN in Atlanta, I was moving out all my things and roaming around a once-vibrant ghost town.

It was a long and mostly slow process getting through quarantine, but things slowly started reopening. The only thing on my mind, though, was if I would return to UGA in August. One night at the end of June, another Archnews email appeared in my inbox. This was a laid out plan to return to some form of in-person activity in the fall.

Once again I was shocked immediately following the email. Much quicker than the one in March, the shock turned to joy. I now knew I was coming back.

I knew it wouldn’t be the same as freshman year, but I was willing to take any sort of college experience that wasn’t in my bedroom and on a computer screen at home.

The adjustment wasn’t easy. I returned to the dorms and had another randomly assigned roommate, but we got along well. Similar to last year, I became a part of his friend group.

Walking around campus certainly felt different. Most people did not leave to go to hybrid classes, but I wanted to escape with any chance I got.

The scariest part was the uncertainty of having a big COVID-19 outbreak as everyone returned. All of my friends from freshman year kept saying we are going to get sent home in a few weeks, but I kept holding out hope.

By the time junior year came around, things had almost completely returned to normal.

As happy as I was for that to be the case, I had forgotten how crowded campus can get, so that was an adjustment. It was so worth the adjustment, though.

Senior year was probably my best year to date. COVID-19 taught me a valuable lesson, and that’s to cherish the smaller moments and live in the present. With every passing year I tried to do that more and more. I certainly took much more photos and videos sophomore year and beyond than freshman year and before.

In the end though, as awful as the pandemic’s impact was, I wouldn’t have my college experience any other way, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me.

Editor’s note: Michael Doti is a member of the class of 2023 with a degree in journalism.

Thursday Crossword

Book a fellow Bulldog

Consider hiring a student to take your grad photos

Katie Tucker

If you haven’t stood in it, you have surely seen it — the long, single file line of people clutching caps and gowns stretching down College Avenue and ending at the Arch. Waiting in line to take graduation photos here will make you question a lot of your choices leading up to that point. Should I have shown up to take photos at 5 a.m.? Should there be a time limit for poses? There has been a consistent line here for six weeks. How is this still the line every single day?

I asked myself these questions over the past few weeks while taking other peoples’ graduation pictures. Equipped with my camera, I stood in line with nine different students achieving various degrees along with other graduates and their accompanying photographers, ranging from parents wanting to take a quick picture on their phones to teams of photographers with light stands in tow.

When it comes to getting grad photos done, the range of planning and excitement surrounding them differs. Some people’s parents booked a photographer at the beginning of the semester, whereas others realized they still haven’t sorted this out when the first week of May rolls around. Some people are overjoyed about this opportunity to dress up and take pictures in front of the places on campus that meant the most to them, while many people see this additional item as just another tick on the graduation checklist or maybe even anxiety-inducing.

I think that this nervous feeling can be alleviated in a simple way — making the choice to hire a University of Georgia student photographer to take graduation photos. In the hunt for a photographer, this section of candidates are often overlooked, especially by parents.

Many times, the circle of clients for student photographers is condensed to their close friends or classmates. But UGA student photographers hold a key advantage, even if they’re strangers to the person they’re photographing. Student photographers are peers, and that existing connection creates a sense of comfort that is hard to replicate elsewhere.

Personally, I knew some of my graduation clients well beforehand and some not so much. As we shuffled forward in line for the Arch and made our way to other spots around campus, we swapped stories of the year and shared similar fears about post-grad life. I ran and grabbed us much-needed coffee at the downtown Starbucks during 8 a.m. sessions. I hyped them up while posing them like I would any friend. We schemed over what poses would be funny or what hidden campus spots we could think of that might make for good backgrounds.

One of the most common bits of feedback that I received at the end of each of my sessions was how comfortable each student felt during the entire process, which not only makes the ordeal less scary but just makes for better photos.

One person I photographed told me that they hoped their personality would shine through in their photos and they would not look too stiff or unlike themselves. An added layer of ease, which comes from a student-to-student relationship, allows people to show not only their true smiles but their true selves. People obviously want to look their best for graduation pictures, and I think it’s alright to be selfish in this context and be reflected in the best light possible. Outside of wedding photos, graduation pictures might be one of the only times people have an allotted hour and a half to celebrate themselves pictorially.

No matter how you feel about the graduation photo process, this experience provides a snapshot of your life at a pivotal time, leaving college and entering a new chapter — whether it’s a career, graduate school or just a break from academics. As cheesy as it sounds, graduation photos should be a celebration of the difficult process to get your degree.

What better person to capture this celebration than someone who is celebrating right alongside you, a student either in the thick of their college career, or like me, on the way out? While it’s up to you to decide how you will navigate this element of the process, remember that there are student photographers who not only want to do this but can bring a touch that no one but students can. As for the fellow student photographers, keep in mind your unique situation is marketable so value your services and expertise. For students that are already thinking about their graduation photos for the upcoming semesters, I urge you to consider your fellow Bulldogs in the process, especially for a sense of familiarity and comfort during often unfamiliar process.

Editor’s note: Katie Tucker is a member of the class of 2023 with a degree in journalism.