Previously published Oct 29. 2020

After a grueling nine months of school, summer is the time of the year where students have the opportunity to relax, study for the upcoming school year, or pursue whatever passions they are interested in. Usually, people look forward to this small break from reality; however, this summer has been looking a bit different since the pandemic struck. People are quarantined with their family, unable to hang out at large gatherings, and some are even forced to stay away from their friends. While many people see these conditions as confining and restricting, there are also many optimistic people who compromised to find ways to enjoy this new version of summer.

“I enjoyed this summer—it gave me an opportunity to practice and work on my drawing. I found that during the summer, my creative skills and artwork have significantly improved,” an anonymous student said, regarding how being quarantined at home has given them the opportunity to master skills that they have usually been too busy to focus on. Similar to this student, many others have spent the summer honing specific skills, whether independently or through online courses.

Garv Mehdiratta ’23 has been working on his coding skills. “I have been taking advantage of staying at home to take a lot of classes, like programming and math.” Garv said that normally, these classes would slightly conflict with each other. However, through the computer, he is able to quickly switch between classes thanks to the virtual aspect that has been an essential component of quarantine.

Although people have been taking advantage of the summer to work independently, others have noted the lack of social interaction. “This summer has felt so confining. The only people I am able to see in real life are my parents. I miss being able to hang out with my friends and going to large gatherings with them,” Harika Parimi ’23 commented on how lonely the self-isolation has been for many individuals. While conversing with family softens the blow, a lot of people have been longing for the usual summer activities of hanging out in large gatherings, participating in summer camps, and going on trips with family and friends.

As a result of the coronavirus, people have been mandated to stay at home and self isolate with their family this summer. This version of summer was a new experience for everybody, with some people wishing things would go back to normal and others taking advantage of the virtual aspect that has been the foundation for all communication and entertainment. However, whether it has been a positive or negative experience of people, nobody can deny that it has been a new and unique experience.