Who could have expected something like this would happen? Within less than a month, our entire world seems to have flipped right on its head. While it’s true that the sudden disruption of our senior year isn’t the absolute worst thing that could have happened to us, it doesn’t change the fact that it still absolutely sucks. This year was supposed to be the time during high school where we would get to enjoy ourselves. This was supposed to be the time for our senior performances, senior trip, senior skip day, prom, college visits, graduation, and maybe even a graduation party. Instead, all of us seniors get the hard work that comes with our senior year, and none of the fun. There are plenty of people out there that tell us to stop complaining because many of us are still healthy, and while that is true, it doesn’t mean that our feelings aren’t valid. Barely any of us knew as we walked out of the school building on March 13, that it would be the last time we were ever there as students. And some seniors, like myself, will never get the kind of closure that comes with saying goodbye and taking one last look at our old classrooms. So if no one else has told you, then let me be the first to say that I’m very sorry; I’m very sorry for the loss of your senior year.

The goal of this letter, however, isn’t to make everyone feel bad, but rather to let everyone know that they aren’t alone. We are all in this together whether you’re thriving in quarantine or you feel like you’re going to start banging your head against the wall from all of the school work or the lack of something interesting to do. While we can’t be there in person, we are all still here for each other in spirit. I encourage you to reach out to someone you haven’t talked to for a while to see how they’re doing. Now more than ever is the time for us to be understanding and stay in contact with those that we care about because even if someone isn’t suffering directly from the disease, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t still suffering.

So it’s ok to mourn the loss of your senior year; it’s ok to be frustrated, and it’s ok to feel lonely because I can guarantee you’re not alone.

Coping with stress can be difficult, so to help, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has put out an article with useful information.