A Letter to High School Seniors Amidst the Coronavirus Chaos

To the Class of 2020,

It probably feels like the end of the world right now. At least, it does to me. As I watch college after college get shut down around me, I spend my time convincing myself to feel grateful that I am a freshman, and not a senior. I am losing my firsts instead of my lasts.

It’s definitely scary looking forward to the next few months with such uncertainty. In my hometown, public schools are closed through at least the next three weeks, with no online classes running like most universities. There are rumors of prom and graduation being cancelled. My old dance studio can’t hold its yearly recital. It seems like every last that everyone’s been working towards for four years is being taken away.

I can’t imagine what it would feel like to be in your place, losing the lasts I’d worked so hard for. However, what I can try to do is offer you some hope, in the form of looking towards a slightly more distant future.

Skip past the next few months in your mind. Jump to September. You’ll be starting college at an incredible school. COVID-19 isn’t going to take that away from you. It may be scary to be losing the lasts, but instead turn your focus to the firsts you’ll get to have so, so soon.

Sure, I had fun at prom and graduation last year. Honestly, I’d say the second half of senior year was the best part of high school for me. But what little college I’ve had so far has by far blown that out of the water. College has been the best time of my life. College is the reward you’re still guaranteed to get for working so hard these past four years. You may not get to wear a fancy dress and dance the night away, or sit on your school’s football field for hours just to get a piece of paper, but you still get to go to your dream school.

So, while the next few months may be looking dark, there’s a light at the end of this tunnel. Savor the memories of the lasts you’ve already had, like your last first day of high school, your last pep rally, your last football game. Then look towards the future, at all of the firsts that await you. Those firsts are going to be way more significant than any lasts you’re forced to miss out on. The wait will be worth it.

Sincerely,

A Person Looking Forward

 

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