The school halls screamed with joy by kids enthusiastic about getting two weeks off from school. Little did we know what was ahead of us after March 13, 2020. Not stepping on campus until almost a year and ½ later, restaurants, beaches, theme parks, etc would be shut down. The shortage of toiletries and people bulk-shopping led stores to implement limitations on the quantity one could purchase. To think that scene happened 3 years ago and changed our life, some for the better and others for the worst.

Being a part of the class of 2020, then-senior Luis Ochoa talks about the senior activities COVID took from him and his peers. 

“I feel like everyone was so naive about it at first, we were all just so happy about getting a break from school, none of us stopped to think about what was ahead of us,” Ochoa stated. “I know some girls who had ordered prom dresses almost a year before and they never got the chance to wear it, we [the class of 2020] didn’t walk the stage until nearly a year later, and we never got a gradnite.”

Current kindergarten teacher, Mabel Lopez, talks about mass learning loss, especially in the younger grades. 

“Elementary school is when motor skills are developed, the vital lessons students will apply to the rest of their lives are installed,” Lopez stated. “I see the constant struggle, my colleagues who teach upper grades are having to try their hardest to get kids caught up to grade level.” 

Isis Robles, 12, talks about how COVID changed her outlook on life. “I appreciate what’s around me more, I put more emphasis on spending time with friends and loved ones,” Robles stated, “During distance learning, it was difficult trying to share the house as I have two other siblings who were also enrolled trying to complete online school and we would often have internet issues.” 

COVID-19 was recently declared no longer an emergency, which could hint we’re stepping towards just recognizing it as the flu or common cold. Still, the impact and lives it took will have an effect on society for the years to come.