Taking Off

The “Covid Class” of 2024 Reflects on Challenges and Changes

Four years ago, in the spring and summer of 2020, they were effectively grounded. Stuck at home, they prepared for a graduation ceremony like no other—or, for some of them, no ceremony at all. It was the start of the first “Covid summer,” and for the high school classes of 2020, that meant graduating via Zoom, or while sitting in the family car at a drive-in theatre.

In the fall of that year, UVM writers told the story of a small group of these students as they began their UVM journey: one that started with masks and social distancing and, as the UVM community rallied to safely come through the pandemic, added close friendships, and deep learning and research experiences. For some, their planned pathways were confirmed. For others, their UVM experience revealed new directions to explore. But these five and, indeed, all the members of the Class of 2024, are veterans of a unique experience. And now they’re ready to take flight.

1. Fritz Gick - Material Gains

Crawling on the floor of an engineering lab in Votey Hall, Fritz Gick ’24 climbs out from under a roof. “We built this,” he says with a big grin. As his senior capstone project in engineering, Gick and a partner worked for a client to test a clever and simple idea: cool houses with cloth to reduce the amount of air conditioning needed. In 2020, Gick came to UVM planning to become a commercial pilot. Four years later, he’s taking off in many ways. Majoring in mechanical engineering with minors in computer science and math, he’s excelled as a student. Gick still loves flying, but has adjusted his goals. “I might end up being a materials professor,” he says. “I’d Iike to get a Ph.D. and do research developing new materials. There's always a search for better materials—including the stuff we use to make airplanes.”

2. Ryan Pham - Food and Friendships

As a kid, the one thing Ryan Pham knew was that he was going to college. That was something instilled in him by his parents—immigrants from Vietnam— and particularly by Pham’s mother. “And I’m happy she did,” he says. Pham grew up in Burlington and is the first in his family to attend college. He came to the University of Vermont to study microbiology and picked up a second major in nutrition food sciences. Both fields marry his interests: working in the lab and cooking. Pham’s first year at UVM, the Covid-19 pandemic was an ever-present part of life. Dorm residents wore masks and classes were conducted online. These days he looks forward to road trips and weekly in-person Survivor viewing parties with friends. Pham has already fielded job offers as a food safety technician and is waiting to hear about positions in clinical microbiology labs.

3. Cole Royer - The Long Run

Cole Royer recalls his first year at UVM, when almost everyone wore masks, and he held high expectations. As a medical laboratory science major, Royer contemplated a career in pathology. And he envisioned qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Four years later he remains on pace to tick off most of these boxes. During the winter and summer of his freshman year, Royer swabbed noses at a Covid-19 field clinic near the U.S.Canadian border, where he grew up. His sophomore year he joined a research lab and worked evenings in the clinical laboratory. Junior year, he volunteered as a patient advocate at UVM Medical Center, and at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge. After graduation, he will continue working in the lab while he prepares for the next phase of his life: studying for the MCAT exam and applying for M.D./Ph.D. programs. And on May 26, he ran the Burlington City Marathon.

4. Pearl Stuart

Singing her Song

Pearl Stuart is in the music studio again. She plugs in a microphone, adjusts a few virtual dials on an equalizer and puts on her headphones. A music technology and business major, Stuart has spent a lot of time in studios over the last four years. Sometimes she’s been on this side of the equipment, sitting in the dark, supporting another musician or cleaning up a track. Other times, she’s on the live side of the microphone, under bright stage lights, singing. In 2020, when Stuart arrived on campus, she was already a committed musician, having released two solo albums. Her years of college haven’t been easy. “Starting during Covid totally threw me off,” she says. An internship helped her find her way. Now she leads a new band. “My world has opened up. Burlington is great. There’s a lot of music and it’s an approachable size.”

5. Sydney Webster - Finding Community

Sydney Webster laughs when asked what she expected her UVM experience to be in the fall of 2020. “I just thought that I would know everything about the world when I graduated.” Then she pauses and laughs again. “And I definitely don't!...and I think it was better than I could have imagined.” Webster’s interest in human and ecological well-being continued and deepened at UVM. After a powerful first-year course on race and racism, she chose to major in health and society with minors in community and international development and integrative health. During the pandemic, Webster took a gap semester and worked on a sheep farm in New Zealand, so she has one semester left to finish—which she’ll take in Grenada, Spain, studying language. “I didn't expect UVM and Burlington to be such a strong-knit community,” she says. “I'm really grateful I got to experience that. I’ll take that with me.”

READ THE FULL STORY

Visit go.uvm.edu/revisit2024 to read the full text of this this story to learn more about these students.

Visit go.uvm.edu/meet2024 to read the original "Meet the Class of 2024" story.