As hard as it is to believe, we have been living by the COVID-19 guidelines for nearly a year. Whether you feel like this time has been a complete blur or like it’s been a 27 month-long year, there is no ignoring the fact that it has been STRANGE. I have come to realize that there are entire classes of people living their post-grad lives within these boundaries. Those leaving SPU and moving into their careers have had to do so in isolation. Likewise, high school seniors have adapted to college life without social orientations and traditional dorm activities. There is no doubt that these transitions have been difficult for high school and college seniors alike.
I have briefly and virtually interviewed two women in the SPU community about their “post-grad life” experience. Susan Nash (she/her), a 2020 high school graduate from Canby, Oregon, is now majoring in Theatre Ed. and English Lit. at SPU. She also works in Gwinn Commons, while playing the tuba in SPU’s wind ensemble and staying involved in the theatre department.
Susan said that because of extracurriculars and leadership roles she held within them, spring was usually her busiest season. “To see it all come crashing down was difficult—” Susan told me, “It was hard to stay motivated…I missed the community I had when I was learning in person—I missed hearing the thoughts of my peers out loud and creating bonds through shared learning experiences.”
The abrupt transition into pandemic-life has also affected 2019 SPU nursing graduate, Lexi Webster (she/her). Lexi now works as a nurse in Seattle Children’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit. On the rare occasion that she is not working, Lexi loves to read and listen to true-crime podcasts.
Working in the medical field is unquestionably difficult during these times, and Lexi described what it looks like for her specifically: “With a lot of our kids not being in school in person, it means they have longer stays [in] our unit.” Lexi said that she and her coworkers are wearing more PPE, being tested frequently for COVID-19, and calling out anytime they show a symptom. Lexi also celebrated that she is now fully vaccinated!
In addition to the normal withdrawals from a traditional social life, the pandemic has also created personal, professional, and academic challenges. “I definitely struggled with my own mental health during this pandemic and quarantine,” said Lexi, “I’m lucky to have incredible friends and a wonderful therapist.” Susan told me that while finishing her senior year was “easy from an academic standpoint,” losing extracurricular activities was especially difficult. “It was hard to grasp that the last normal day of senior year came and went without even knowing.”
It’s no doubt that this year has been hard. I feel that one of the biggest challenges has been to acknowledge the equally significant amount of growth we’ve experienced. Susan highlighted that she has “Learned a great deal about creative problem solving.” Due to the shutdown, Susan and her fellow student leaders had to adjust a lot of their plans. These adaptations turned into Instagram takeovers, Zoom calls, and a virtual theatre banquet. Lexi talked about the “Huge pressure from social media to lose weight [and] be productive.” She says that she learned to give herself more grace as she adjusted to “Living a somewhat normal life during a pandemic.”
Finally, Lexi and Susan share their insights on dating during the pandemic because, well, ‘tis the season! Susan has been in a relationship for just over a year, and reflected on how the pandemic has changed that dynamic. Her boyfriend now goes to school in Eugene, Oregon and Susan said that the “Pandemic prepared us for a distance relationship.” She said that when the shutdown was first initiated, Susan and her boyfriend would write letters to one another across town—so sweet! “The pandemic taught us that we do not have to be together physically to be together,” said Susan, “I think the pandemic has made us better friends, better pen-pals, and better communicators.”
Lexi’s dating dynamic was also completely changed this year, as she celebrated coming out to her friends and family during the pandemic! Go Lexi! She said that she met her “super cute, super wonderful girlfriend” online.
Lexi also reflected on the differences between dating “post-grad” and dating at SPU: “Dating at SPU was hard for me because it felt so much like high school…because ‘ring by spring’ terrified me and I was also super into the ‘intentional singleness’ thing that a lot of young Christian girls are convinced to do.” Lexi emphasized the importance of being honest with yourself and where you’re at with dating, as well as being honest with the people you are interested in: “Don’t fall in love with the idea of someone…date them for who they currently are.”
Susan’s and Lexi’s experiences are a huge testament to how undergoing big transitions during this pandemic is difficult, but not impossible.
“Once you enter post-grad life there’s an expectation that you’ll have it all together,” said Lexi. “The pandemic honestly took a lot of those expectations off [of] the table and we had to cope with what the world actually was.”