Petaluma students write about lessons learned during coronavirus pandemic - Petaluma Argus Courier

ALLISON HANEY

Senior, Petaluma High School

I wouldn’t say the year started off on a negative note, but things definitely didn’t get better. There were many internal struggles I had to overcome as 2020 progressed into the devastating pandemic it is known as today. I’m a strong, willful person but COVID had sent my optimistic soul into a deep, dark trench of self inflection. As an 18 year old growing into my big girl adult trousers; having to be forced into a strict isolation made me lose any sense of direction as to what my future goals were to look like. I have...no, HAD a busy lifestyle which I enjoyed. It kept me on my feet, active, my mind was constantly reeling and maturing; the pandemic halted that. Any form of happiness began rapidly drifting away as I would spend more time alone in my room not being able to interact with those who keep me a stable socialite. I felt lost, depressed, overwhelmed even when I was doing nothing - like my life just veered off course with a sharp turn into a muddy ditch. I felt worthless. I’ve never experienced depression before until the pandemic hit its peak with all the news stories and information circulating throughout social media. I am a competitive rhythmic gymnast and I haven’t been to practice in three months. I used to go every day and I simply don’t have the energy to even do the smallest tasks. The pandemic ruined my mental health. From feeling normal to all of a sudden having my entire life ripped away from me in just two months was the worst feeling. Despite all of these changes, I have found myself a stable routine and discovered a positive self-growth journey. Maybe that’s one good thing that came out of the pandemic. Spending hours upon hours with yourself 24/7, you begin to learn a lot about who you are as an individual and who benefits your life as well as who doesn’t. Knowing that there are others in my situation - not having a senior prom, graduation plans will be different, feeling lonely - is just all part of the deck of cards that we were all dealt. Knowing that the worst with this pandemic has (hopefully) passed, and we can finally get on with our lives, is the light at the end of the tunnel that we all need. I feel older just by how much I’ve endured over the year of 2020. Would I go through it all again? Absolutely never, but it taught me that I can prove myself to overcome anything. I’m glad I made it.

AIVA LEMESH

Senior, Casa Grande High School

In the earlier stages of the pandemic I was very pessimistic towards everything in my life as I’m sure lots of people were. I was disappointed that my senior year of high school, and all of the festivities that come with it, was taken away from me. Overall, I was pretty upset about how things were not the same as they used to be. I went through periods of feeling completely paranoid, isolated and alone, even though everyone was going through the same thing. But despite all of the negativity surrounding me during COVID, I have learned how to better appreciate the people that have always been there for me like close friends and family. My family has grown a lot closer during this time, and I have realized how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, especially in the middle of a world crisis. I have also been able to spend more time outside and participate in activities such as camping, hiking and learning how to surf during lockdown. My heart goes out to the people still struggling from the effects of COVID-19 and I hope this whole thing will settle down soon, and the world will progress in all aspects.

KELSEY FERRANDO

Sophomore, Casa Grande High School

When COVID began last March and our entire world shut down, I became down and not motivated. To give you some background, I am a fairly extroverted student who thrives on being around others. So, this drastic change was difficult for myself and for others. After a while of laying in bed and staring at my phone for hours on end, I decided to reach out to one of Casa Grande’s most admired teachers, Lynne Moquete. We met (socially distanced and masked up of course) and she told me about her organization, Una-vida which feeds needy families in Petaluma and the greater Sonoma County. I got started a week later in her garage with a few volunteers. Now a year later, I have helped out every week. Volunteering was my savior in lockdown from feeling out of sorts and bored. I have also found a new purpose in life. On top of volunteering, I got a job at Baskin Robbins as an assistant cake decorator. I have learned so much from my talented boss, Samantha Mahan, and have made many new friends. It has been really difficult trying to learn over Zoom and dealing with the disconnect of my peers and teachers. But, I adapted like many others and accepted that this was the new norm. I am lucky to be back attending school in person. The biggest lesson I have learned during COVID has been the importance of community. Even in a lockdown order, we will make it work as a community to be there for one another and lend a helping hand.

ISABELLA LAKATOS

Senior, Casa Grande High School

There is not a linear answer to how I have responded to this unpredictable year. I have held it together. I have attended my Zoom classes, I have committed to college, I have excelled in my extracurricular responsibilities, and I have maintained a rigorous schedule. But most of it has been an appeal to my perfectionist nature, to society’s expectations, and for survival. There is not a single person who hasn’t felt a loss this year. Both the small: the closure that comes with the trivial events of my senior year, the social capabilities that come with stimulation, the outlet of sports, the security of my job, and the big: my distanced peer, my papa, and an 18-year-old friend. Each loss carried its own, unique grief. Whether I was grieving a life or an experience, this year was foreign, it was raw, and it hurt. I have handled COVID in all of the right and wrong ways, on a day-by-day basis, and with little expectation, but if I could relay one concept that I have learned this year, it would be that growing pains are not always physical. Change is tumultuous, painful, scary, and exciting, but it's inevitable.

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Petaluma students write about lessons learned during coronavirus pandemic - Petaluma Argus Courier
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