Prompt 4
On school campuses around the nation and world, history is being made. I think the historic nature of what is happening on these school campuses is their response to the pandemic and how students are still determined to get their education and play sports. While I think it is difficult to get your education at any time, it is especially hard during a pandemic. With classes online and limited social interactions, it can be even harder for students to find motivation to do their assignments. McPherson College's reaction to COVID-19 is making history. Their response keeps the college's values in mind, while also trying to be as safe as possible. McPherson College cares about students having classes in person and staying connected to staff and faculty, especially in this time of need.
Personally, I don't see myself as a part of history since everyone alive right now will be here to tell the tale. I haven't done anything significant besides go to college and work during a pandemic, but I will have plenty of stories to tell my friends and family for the coming years. The only thing my generation can do at this point in time to define history would be to vote. As young adults, there isn't a lot we can do to influence other people. I feel like students are handling the mask well. For me, wearing a mask isn't any different than wearing clothes in public, it is a law that you must obey to make other feel safe and comfortable.
Not only is college a defining moment in my life but going to college during a pandemic will also have an impact on me. College is important in helping figure out who you are and what you want to do. I am meeting professors who will recommend me for jobs and friends that will be at my wedding, and although these things are still happening, a pandemic does hinder my ability to do this. With so many rules and regulations, I feel like my classes and college experiences aren't as good as they were last year, even though my college is doing everything they can to make it the best. I can't talk to people in classes or get to know my professors on the same personal level as last year. I do strongly believe that this moment is defining me and students around the world. We are all still working and going to school just to get an education and hopefully a job we love. The way I continue to pursue my dreams, while balancing the stress of masks and regulations for the pandemic has shown me what I am cable of doing.
This pandemic, in my opinion, will change the world forever. For starters, people don't even know how long we will continue to wear masks for, it could be the rest of my college career. Perhaps after the pandemic, people may be more concerned about the welfare of others and help build a better future for everyone. Maybe it will determine how people vote and what those people in office do to improve on our last years' experience. Overall, everything I have experienced this past year will live on in history. A pandemic caused by eating a bat, a president who says that COVID-19 is a political hoax, hundreds of thousands of Americans dead, millions of people losing jobs, stimulus checks, the world shutting down, wearing a mask everywhere, a wedding during the pandemic, going to college during a pandemic, social unrest, and so much more. Everything that happened this year has been unprecedented and may continue on this path, but hopefully things will get better.
Meghan Smith
Sophomore
Alyssa Lambert
Junior
Looking back at the beginning of this pandemic with the CoronaVirus, and where we are now is a big step in our lives. I’d imagine for colleges all around the world, stress is high in faculty, staff, and students. Everyone as a whole has been more online than in person, and with that comes struggles of teaching students, and the students processing the material. We all learn in different ways, and each teacher has their own individual way to teach. The teachers want us to thrive, and with being online and using digital resources to learn, we are changing history. For me, being a college student became more tricky. I’ve had to learn how to time manage my life in a way I can do school, work, and have a social life, on top of homework. History will be changing and this generation is going to be a big impact on it all.
This is the defining moment in our lives for this generation. We are choosing who our president is and that will depict our downfall or uprise. What we want may not be the best solution but from here on out, we are the adults and we make the decisions as a group. I would say I see myself as a part of history. Every vote counts and with those votes, we will decide how to move forward out of this pandemic and get our economy back on top of its game. Each step of getting our lives back on track will consist of what the government has in store for us, and how we react. Step by step, we will get back on our feet and back to normal, but who's to say what normal is now moving forward?
Thinking down the road, when I am older, what would I tell my kids, and grandkids? I would tell them first off, it was not as dramatic as everyone thought it was. We were scared to be near people, scared to go grocery shopping, required to wear itchy and hard to breathe out of masks, and we had no reason to be hoarding toilet paper. It was hard being in school, and learning online when we were barely getting on our feet and running with online courses. Colleges who have the necessities to be in person, should not have been online, but due to the uprising scare of the virus, we were trapped in our houses, and isolated from all our friends. We felt imprisoned and now that it's getting better, we feel like free people. Overall this virus had made a huge impact in our lives and made us take a big jump into the digital technology world.
I haven’t really thought much about the historic nature of what’s happening globally with Covid-19. I feel like this year has been more tragic than anything and I see it as something I don’t want to reflect on until it’s over. It’s devastating that we’re a part of history because of a pandemic, but it makes me content knowing everyone around the world is going through the exact same thing.
Yes, I see myself as a part of history. However, there has been so much more that has gone on in the year 2020 than Covid-19 and I believe this year is going to be remembered for a very long time. This is a part of our generations defining moment and we are all a part of it just by simply existing. There have been both good and bad things that have come out of this pandemic. We all have found various ways to entertain ourselves, in and out of the house. As a whole, I believe Covid-19 has brought our country closer, knowing we’re all in this together. From an economic standpoint, everyone has been forced to work from home, had their work shut down, or completely lost their job.
Because of this pandemic, going to school online, and being locked in the house I was able to reflect on certain aspects in my life. There were several changes that I made, including changing schools. I feel like without Covid-19 and without quarantine my life would be completely different and it wouldn’t be for the better. This isn’t necessarily going to change the world, but it certainly changed my life and I hope that I can make small changes in those around me.
Elle Barrett
Sophomore
Tyler Norris
 If I was told in February that we would have to wear masks at all times during practice I wouldn’t have believed it. Covid has brought a variety of challenges to athletes worldwide. |  We are experiencing first hand, what generations down the line will be talking about for ages. |
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 My defining moment of history in the making is having the pleasure to relax at all hours of the day. |  I see myself as a part of this history to be by being a population stat that is put out daily regarding cases. |