Kendall Markley

Name: Kendall Markley

Grade: 12

How has the pandemic affected your life?

It was honestly something none of us had expected, and it really took a toll on our senior year. It messed with a lot of kids’ mental health because their sports seasons got canceled or their grades were falling lower than normal because of the unsteady school environment. All of the extracurriculars have been up in the air so we may be practicing or working on a concert for an event that won’t even happen.

What have you learned as a result of the pandemic?

Never take anything for granted because you may now know when the last day of normal high school will be, or how one day everything will be fine, and the next day your life is completely different. Try to keep a positive outlook on things because you can achieve anything you put your mind to, even if something is thrown in the way as you go.

What worries are you experiencing now? How are you currently coping?

School is so stressful right now because we are still trying to adjust to the new routine, but it’s possible that the routine can change any minute so you also have to be ready for a change. It is better now that we can see our friends every day, but I had no friends when we were hybrid because all of my friends were in B day so it felt pretty lonely coming to school every day. When you are going through something hard, the way to cheer up is by surrounding yourself with friends, which I didn’t even have.

What are some positive things that have come out of the pandemic?

I’ve learned to become self-dependent on my learning abilities as well as knowing how to manage my time without a structure behind it. The pandemic has allowed us to face a huge hardship which will hopefully help us if we face another one in the future.

What are your hopes for the future?

I hope to attend college in a somewhat normal setting and get the college experience since I was unable to have the true senior year that we always dreamed of. Hopefully, we can create a new atmosphere in the future that will be a positive look at the things that can be so horrible in life.