2020, a year that was supposed to be amazing. People had so much hope and excitement for this year. The start of a new decade; a time for people to start fresh. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Tragedy after tragedy has already defined this year; bushfires in Australia, political tensions between Iran and the U.S., and the death of an icon and someone people in my grade have always looked up to, Kobe Bryant. It seemed like all of the bad things were getting out of the way early, oh how wrong that assumption was.

When COVID-19 made its way to the U.S., the lives of everyone in the country completely changed. Businesses closed, schools closed, professional sports ceased, and people are afraid to leave their own houses. But, however bad this all may seem, these tragedies, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic, have given us an opportunity to adapt and overcome these setbacks, teaching us many lessons and making us stronger for when this is all over. This is something that I believe I have been able to do during this pandemic; I have learned how to go about life in 2020. It may be very different than life was before the pandemic, but it has made me stronger and given me a sense of optimism that I really have never been able to experience in my life.

As crazy as it may seem, this horrible pandemic has given me hope because I am able to see so many people coming together to fight this pandemic, even if they are all overs six feet apart. I see people all around the world doing their part, whether it be by wearing a mask, staying at home, or actually being on the front lines trying to care for victims of the virus. Seeing all of this is absolutely incredible, but what stands out to me especially is the support that we give our front-line workers. Every day, I see on Snapchat and Instagram our health care workers working extremely hard putting their lives on the line to fight the virus, and seeing people sending messages, supplies, and food to these workers is extremely heartwarming. Seeing how people are able to come together, no matter race, wealth, or political party for this cause is something special, especially with all of the political and social unrest in the world today. This has given me the hope that when the pandemic is over, and it is safe to return to our normal lives, people will be able to put differences behind them and work together like they are during this time of uncertainty. We have now seen that it is possible to get over our differences and work together, and hopefully this pandemic is an example of how life can be when we are able to achieve that.

There are still some moments, however, where I do lose a bit of hope and happiness because of the pandemic. For starters, my senior year obviously has not gone according to plan. With all students not being allowed back in the school for the rest of the year, it certainly is sad that I will not be able to see my teachers and friends to finish out the school year. I will cherish all the memories that I have had throughout my years in Lynbrook, starting in fourth grade when I first moved here, to this year as a senior. It is a shame that I am unable to finish it out with all the people I have been with for the last eight years. 

The absence of a traditional prom and graduation will not go unnoticed. The unfortunate reality that things will not be the same this year is very real for me, as I am sure it is for many other people not only at LHS, but all around the world. However, there is nothing that we can do about it right now, and in the spirit of this newfound hope, we will overcome this obstacle.

The absence of prom and graduation have taken a toll on me, but without a doubt the biggest thing that the pandemic has taken away from me is my senior baseball season. It may seem like this is the least important of the three, but not being able to play my final season certainly has hurt me the most. Playing baseball is something that I began doing seriously as soon as I moved to Lynbrook. From playing little league when I first moved here, to playing travel with the Lynbrook Knights, and playing school ball since seventh grade, baseball is something that brought me closer with some of my best friends at Lynbrook. So, when the COVID-19 pandemic took my season away, I was devastated. I would not be able to finish my time with Lynbrook baseball, and all of the people whom I have met over the years, in the way I wanted to.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is a nightmare that we are living in right now, unfortunately, much of this is out of control, and the acceptance of this fact makes missing these moments a little easier. Regardless of what we have lost, and what we may lose in the coming weeks, we have to understand that we cannot control that, and we must move on and become stronger after this is all over. Fortunately, this pandemic has brought people closer together, making it possible for the world to change. Even if it does not look like it now, the terribleness that we are enduring may actually make for a better future. We have seen people come together, we have seen the pollution rate drop significantly, and we have seen people taking proper precautions. This may just be the wakeup call that we needed. But for now, we have to just continue to adapt. Do what you can to stay safe, and do what you can to return this nation to normalcy. For me, what I have done during quarantine has made me stronger as an individual and has prepared me for future problems in a way that I never thought would be possible when this all began. Obviously, I wish like everyone else that this had never happened, but it did, and we cannot change the past, we can only look to what’s ahead. We must take this experience and use it as a way to better ourselves for the future.