The Class of COVID-19

It happened in what felt like an instant.

One day campus is buzzing with activity; the next, an eerie silence.

One day students pass each other on the quad, smile, say hello and make plans for the weekend; the next, they are confined to their homes.

One day professors and students meet face-to-face after class, discuss an upcoming assignment and talk about life; the next, it’s a pixilated video call over Zoom.

One day seniors make plans to start jobs, get married, travel and celebrate graduation with family; the next, those plans are canceled.

But still, life goes on. Classes must continue. Assignments must be completed. Seniors must graduate. Essential personnel like nurses must finish course requirements and clinical training so they can enter the field when they are needed most.

Above all, students must be cared for. Resources like counseling, tutoring and academic coaching must be made available remotely. Financially vulnerable students must be helped with unexpected living expenses. The local community must be served in new and innovative ways. Bruins must stand together like never before.

It’s a messy story. A story in which the final chapters have yet to be written. But also, it’s a story of hope. A story of rising up together to meet a challenge we never imagined.