It has officially been a year since COVID-19 changed our lives in March 2020, and it is bizarre to think about how much has changed since then. Most college students were taking classes in person, just like any other semester, and looking forward to the upcoming spring break. As we know, that spring break was extended, and school from then on changed in ways we never anticipated.

Reflecting over the past year is important as we should recognize how much we have all accomplished as college students during this time. I feel like every conversation I have had about the fact that COVID-19 began a year ago has been rather sad and negative, which is understandable, but instead, we should focus on our successes amidst the chaos. By altering our perspective on this, we can find some silver linings and lift our spirits. 

Many of us are still taking all of our classes online, meaning we are essentially earning our degrees entirely through our computers. This has come with challenges no college student has ever had to navigate before. 

Personally, this time last year, I had only taken a few online courses and only one during a full semester. I always thought doing an entire semester of classes online would be too difficult and require extreme time-management skills that I did not possess. And while I believe that online school is definitely harder in many ways compared to in-person classes, I am now pleasantly surprised at how well I have been able to adapt and succeed in a completely online environment.

Plus, the fact that we have all been able to continue pursuing our degrees while the world is undergoing a pandemic is honestly quite extraordinary when you think about it. Especially considering the alternative to online school would be having to pause our college education for an indefinite amount of time. 

I think reflecting on the past year and all we have overcome as students is important right now. I often find myself complaining about online classes and how unfair it is that the pandemic has changed my college experience. It can be so easy to get frustrated about Zoom connections not working, not being able to see professors or students face to face and just the fact that college doesn’t feel the same as it used to. But unfortunately, complaining usually only makes me more upset or stressed. 

Instead, if we tried to change our mindset to be more positive and look at what we have all been able to accomplish over the past year, we could make the situation better for ourselves. I, for one, never thought I would be doing group presentations, projects, clubs or even jobs fully online, but taking a moment to think about the fact that I have done so somehow successfully despite all the obstacles makes me feel proud of myself, as all of us should. So as we approach the year mark of social distancing, masks and everything in between, I want every NC State student to recognize and be proud of their resilience throughout this time.