Vanessa Velas Romero, 18, is a member of the high school Class of 2020 鈥� an entire group of students across the country who saw their proms, graduations and beach weeks evaporate as the coronavirus pandemic was declared last year.
Velas, whom 蜜桃视频app profiled last year as a senior, graduated from High Point High School, in Maryland’s Prince George鈥檚 County, and joined another unique demographic: the young people who would start their college careers at a time when campuses are faced with a host of COVID-19-related decisions on student housing, orientation and classroom operations.
Velas, now at the University of Rochester, in upstate New York, said adjusting to college and campus life during a pandemic are one and the same for her and her classmates.
As soon as she arrived on campus, Velas said, the impact of COVID-19 was obvious.
Like college students across the country, Velas鈥� parents came along to drop her off and help her move in. But there were restrictions.
鈥淭hey only allowed one person to help us,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o one person had to stay in the car and the other person could come up to the dorm with me.鈥�
Velas plans on majoring in political science and economics, and takes her academics seriously.
But with many classes online only, she quickly learned that firing up her computer in her dorm room to take Zoom classes was not going to work 鈥渂ecause I will fall asleep.鈥�
Her solution: 鈥淚 would go to the library or I would go to the study room that they have here,鈥� she said. Just changing to another setting helped her focus and felt a bit more like attending in person.
There are some in-person classes too, with social distancing and rotating attendance.
鈥淲ith classes that I have in person, I do better. Because I鈥檓 actively listening; I鈥檓 actively taking notes,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t feels a little bit more personal. I think it鈥檚 just that human interaction鈥攊t鈥檚 needed.鈥�
Mask-wearing is just a part of college life for first-year students such as Velas.
鈥淚鈥檝e just gotten so used to it鈥� she said. 鈥淭he only time it鈥檚 gotten annoying is at the gym.鈥�
Hand sanitizer stations are everywhere, Velas said: at the gym, the dining halls, the lounges. Velas said it鈥檚 become a routine to sanitize and wipe down surfaces. Students have adapted to the practices. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 doing their part.鈥�
On social media, some women are saying there鈥檚 an upside to all the mask-wearing: They鈥檙e saving a bundle on lipstick and foundation. 鈥淭hat is the case,鈥� said Velas, but she added with a laugh, 鈥淚 kind of miss doing my makeup sometimes. You can鈥檛 show off anymore.鈥�
Meeting new people is a bit more complicated, though. Instead of asking the campus classic question 鈥淲hat鈥檚 your major?,鈥� students might ask each other when they were last tested for COVID-19. And flirting is a bit different too, she said, 鈥淗onestly, you don鈥檛 really know if someone鈥檚 smiling at you.鈥�
But she鈥檚 made a conscious effort to branch out and make new friends within the limits imposed by the coronavirus, and says, 鈥淚 found a really good group of people here.鈥�
She said there is a lot of support to battle the sense of isolation that鈥檚 hit many young people in the last year: 鈥淚 think the most positive thing is finding people who help you when you鈥檙e feeling low. 鈥� Everyone鈥檚 going through the same thing鈥� and that鈥檚 created a sort of bond.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just nice knowing that you鈥檙e not going through it alone.鈥�
What鈥檚 the first thing she wants to do once the pandemic is no longer a threat and life can return to something resembling normal?
鈥淛ust go out without a mask,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 going to feel amazing.鈥�
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