For some students, this past summer was a relaxing staycation. For others, it was an endless feeling of confinement. But for all, it was a summer that won’t be forgotten.
Though a challenging couple of months, many UNC students said they were able to find silver linings amid the pandemic.
Lindsey Williams, a sophomore majoring in nursing, found alternative ways to make the most out of her summer.
“I was supposed to work as a certified nursing assistant over the summer, but because of COVID-19 I wasn’t able to do that,” Williams said. “I started babysitting two kids every day instead to make some money. It was nice because I could hang out with my family more before coming back to school since I don’t see them a lot when I’m here.”
During quarantine some found it difficult to maintain contact with others. Though there was certainly an increase in the amount of communication handled online, sophomore Vatsala Sachdeva turned to letter writing to keep in touch with her family.
“I wrote a few letters to my cousin who lives in Hong Kong,” Sachdeva, a neuroscience major, said. “We just wrote about how each country handled COVID differently and some good ways to keep mental health up during this time. It was interesting to get an international perspective on the virus since all I really knew about it was what I had heard from the people around me.”
Despite most students spending their summer at home, some chose to stay on campus and quarantine at the University to maintain a sense of normalcy that was lost when the spring semester was cut short.
Tracy Hawkins, a junior double majoring in political science and peace, war and defense, was one of those students.
“Being on campus this summer was definitely a unique experience,” Hawkins said. “Even though some people were here, the campus felt pretty empty and lacked the excitement that you usually get walking through. It definitely makes me appreciate how things were before last spring, but I know the University is doing what it can to provide an on-campus experience for the kids who wish to be here while also trying to comply with government mandates.”
