Three and half years ago marked the beginning of an unprecedented era that would test the resilience and determination of individuals across the globe – 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

After graduating from Lutcher High School, I did not start college at Southeastern. Instead, I went to Northwestern State University. In Fall 2020, I transferred to River Parish Community College (RPCC) and I studied to raise my GPA and pursue a degree in sports communication. 

Following my transfer, I had to deal with the pandemic. Not only could I not visit friends I made at NSU, but I was at a completely different institution. During my first semester at RPCC, I strictly took online classes. COVID-19 was running rampant in South Louisiana, so face-to-face classes were completely shut down. 

All things considered, I still had a good semester. My grades started to rise and I felt more determined than ever before. Even though I was trapped in isolation for the most part, communicating with friends via Facetime, gaming, Zoom calls and more kept me occupied. 

My time in lockdown wasn’t too bad. After I finished a long list of Zoom meetings, my sisters and I would go outside and play various games in our backyard. We couldn’t go to the park to play like we used to, so we brought the park to us. 

At the start of the Spring 2021 semester, we were allowed to return to campus for classes; however, I decided to stay home and continue attending school online. This decision benefited me because I was staying home and safe while working as an assistant manager at AutoZone. 

I transferred to SLU in Fall 2021. My grades were finally good and I raised my GPA enough to officially become a Lion. Initially, I wanted to keep taking online classes, but I took a risk by deciding to return to face-to-face classes. Masks were heavily enforced, but that was no problem for me as I wanted to keep safe. I didn’t catch COVID-19 after a year in the pandemic and hoped to keep it that way.  

Teachers made it safe for students by spreading us out across the classroom. One problem that did arise was meeting new people. I was a transfer student who needed to familiarize myself with the campus and area. With everyone wearing masks and social distancing, being involved and interacting with people took a lot of work. 

Another problem was finding the buildings for each classroom. I felt like a freshman again during my first couple weeks at Southeastern. At RPCC and NSU, my classes were in the same building, so everything was easy to find. 

During my first semester at SLU, I had classes in Fayard, McGehee, D Vickers and Meade. I arrived nearly 30 minutes late for my first class of the new school year due to the struggle of familiarzing myself with the layout.

Not to mention, I was far too shy to ask for directions, so I just settled for finding my way by myself. 

Heading into Spring 2022, significant changes would take effect. The mask mandate was lifted, which was the first sign of normalcy. After two years of dealing with the challenges and uncertainties of Covid, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. 

With the removal of masks, it was a lot easier to talk to my classmates and perform group projects. During the semester, I was able to have small study groups with some classmates in preparation for a final exam — something I don’t think would be possible without the mandate being lifted. 

I started to get involved with campus more by joining The Lion’s Roar in my junior year. I met tons of new people and students and had the opportunity to attend events that I never thought I would go to.  

There was an initial struggle because I was balancing two jobs and taking 15 hours, but I got through it with a great friend group and strong family support. I was able to cover sporting events and keep my job at AutoZone. Although there were days when I was severely stressed, in the end, it was all worth it. 

Currently, I am a senior looking to complete my sports communication degree. There were struggles at the beginning of my journey, but looking back, I’d do it all over again. My life is now better because of my choices and the group of people I call friends is bigger because of it.