By Mikayla, 21, Bloomington, Indiana
During Quarantine, I have been spending my time doing schoolwork and trying to learn new things that interest me. School has changed a lot now that everything's online. Since I’m a ballet major, doing ballet class in my kitchen over zoom isn’t quite the same. For my other classes, it’s really hard to find the motivation to go through the motions of doing the work. However, I have a lot more free time now and have been learning how to edit in Premiere Pro and use the music producing software Ableton.
As an artist, quarantine has pushed me to use what I have and just create. Whether it is experimenting with self portrait photography, dance videos, or writing music, I want to fill my time with things that are meaningful to me. On campus, I work as a group exercise leader and teach yoga, barre, and cardio hip hop classes. I’m really lucky that the University is still paying me for my scheduled hours even though I currently cannot go into work. I think we will now be hosting some virtual fitness classes soon, and that will be a fun challenge to tackle.
It’s a little bit scary not knowing what the world is going to look like after we try to go back to “normal.” My post graduation plans could not be more uncertain, but I am trying to continue to work hard and trust that things will happen the way they are supposed to. I hope that the lasting impact that Coronavirus has on our generation is to wake us up and make us realize that we need to be prepared for things like this incase if it happens again.
I hope this virus makes us realize we need to take care of each other and take care of the planet. The issues that my generation will face will be determined by actions taken now. I try to stay positive about what is happening, but I worry a lot about people in the U.S. dealing with domestic violence, lack of access to food, and for the safety of healthcare workers.