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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at IUP chapter.

October is only a few days away. I’m having a little trouble wrapping my head around that.

Although it’s only been a year and a half since classes first moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic in February 2020, it feels like this has been going on for much, much longer.

Back then, having spring break extended so that classes to be converted to an online format wasn’t exactly unexpected. Still, it was quite a shock when the university announced that classes would be held online for the duration of the semester. Despite the optimism that everything would back to normal by the fall, it soon became a pipe dream.

Days became weeks, and weeks became months. Before long, everything started to blend together. We’ve been walking around wearing masks for so long now that my mom forgot I had a nose piercing.

Although it has been difficult to conceptualize the passage of time, I am grateful to be moving forward.

Michaela Shaw was the vice president and senior editor of the Her Campus chapter at Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2020-2022. During her time as an undergraduate student, Michaela was also a member of Active Minds, Alpha Kappa Delta, the National Society for Leadership and Success, Sociology Club, and Psi Chi. She also volunteered with Hopeful Hearts, a grief support group for children and families. After completing an internship at Allegheny County Children, Youth and Families, she graduated in August with a dual baccalaureate in Psychology and Sociology and a minor in Child and Adult Advocacy Studies. She likes video games, reading, rainy days, vinyl records, Thai food, and spending time with her cat, Ron.