room environment with your peers that makes school what it is. Not seeing my peers, even if we weren’t close, was tough for me. The “last day of school” was a letdown. Traditionally, a senior’s last day is celebrated with festivities and gatherings, but in this year’s case, I just logged out of Zoom and shut my laptop. How did the quarantine effect your decisionmaking about college? I had decided to attend Marist college’s FFE program before quarantine, so I was set on going to Florence for my freshman year. Just recently, Marist told me that the program has been moved to the spring semester, which is really upsetting. I wish colleges had a plan for their COVID response earlier, but I know that even the highest-ranking college officials are as informed about the pandemic as I am.
Being a WFS Senior in the Time of COVID-19 Lilia Machado ’20 talks about what it was like to spend the spring of senior year in quarantine. Lilia is a WFS lifer who will be attending Marist and plans to spend her first semester in Florence, Italy.
my senior friends experience these traditions and reveling in the joy that came with them. I knew how much my senior friends valued these traditions, and to not be a part of them was definitely upsetting to me.
How did you feel when you first heard the news that we would be going remote for two weeks? For the rest of the year? At first I joked about it. The concept of ‘going remote’ was only something mentioned once in class then later forgotten about. I was so excited to finally stay home and relax, but I didn’t realize how long online learning was going to last. I don’t recall the exact time I learned that remote learning would continue for the rest of the school year, but an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty was always present whenever I tried to plan ahead for my upcoming freshman year of college. As a senior, what did you miss most? What surprised you that you didn’t miss? I missed the traditions the most. I was upset that the noise parade, senior spirit week, and final assembly would be missed. When I was an underclassman, I looked forward to watching
I mostly missed having a schedule to my day. I could wake up some days at 7:30 and I could wake up other days at 11, which did not help me when I tried to set a healthy routine for each day. During a normal school day, I would run down to the track at 3:20 and have practice until about 5 every day. Running with my team allowed me to stick to a routine of exercising every day; during quarantine, I worked out less and less. I most definitely did not miss waking up early to get to school on time, and I appreciated that I could have only three classes a day and spend time doing things with my family. What was challenging about ending your high school career with remote learning? Not having face-to-face interactions was challenging. There’s something valuable about interacting with people and being in a class-
What inspired you during quarantine? What was draining? Finding inspiration and motivation was very hard during quarantine. Not seeing friends, competing in sports, and walking from class to class threw me off of my daily rhythm that I had been used to for 13 years at Friends. The lack of motivation came suddenly due to Friends trusting that students would continue learning though a computer screen for the rest of the year. Knowing that I was going to be stuck behind a screen for the rest of the year dampened my mood and motivation. I did have more time to explore the outdoors on my bike, which I had neglected for so long due to hours spent at school running outdoor track and completing homework. Being outside more than normal allowed me to connect with the world around me; it helped me to slow down and realize that there is so much that the outdoors offers you that a classrooms does not. What advice do you have for underclassmen related to any new perspectives you may have as a result of the quarantine? Take time for you. Even though we have been stuck inside for what seems like years on end, make sure that among your school work and class time you take a break. It can be as simple as taking a 10 minute walk, cooking something new, or calling a friend; just take a break from school-related activities. Summer 2020 • QuakerMatters 13
