Uncertainty and Hope BY MARISOL VARGAS CLASS OF MMXX
March 6 was my last day of my senior year of high school, but I am only one of the millions of students who have stopped creating their last memories with peers and friends. Overnight, our lives changed forever, and we never had a chance to say goodbye. It is absurd to think that I lived my last day of school without knowing it. That saying that goes: “you don´t know what you have until you lose it,” is quite right. School not only offered me a place to learn, but a routine, a lifestyle. The anxiety and excitement we are supposed to feel the last days of school, saying goodbye to teachers who helped me grow the last 4 years was taken from me.
However, the support of our community has been encouraging. Everyone has worked hard to make us feel loved despite the situation: teachers, administrative staff, and even parents. At West, a video has been planned to highlight the achievements of our students. In addition, they started pages on social media to highlight all the students of the class of 2020. My teachers have been patient during the transition period to online learning. In the same way, my parents have helped me make the best decisions for the future. I am so proud to be part of a community that has given me so much love and I would like to thank you for staying together in these difficult times.
To my dear classmates, I want to say that this year will be different and that is fine. The conclusion of our school year has brought challenges, but it has made us stronger than anyone could have imagined. We are strong enough to grow, learn and question current politics despite being young; We challenge adults who told us we could never understand. We are strong enough to spread love and accept people more than previous generations, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. We are strong enough to support each other throughout the madness and to find humor even when things go wrong. We are fortunate to live in a place that used early measures to decrease the transmission of the virus. We adapt, we overcome, and we find ways to stay together to prosper. The class of 2020 has grown in times of uncertainty, chaos and change, but we have found a way to turn it into hope for improvement. We do not need a ceremony to celebrate our graduation, simply, let’s celebrate every day with your loved ones and live life to the fullest. ¡Let us no longer focus on what we have lost, but on what lies ahead! This time of confinement has served us to reflect and realize that we, the class of 2020, have the duty and the power to create something better for future generations.
