by Greyson Corley ‘23

After reflecting on this past year in quarantine I can honestly say that it has definitely been an interesting journey. It’s hard to believe that the last normal semester of classes that I had was in the fall of 2019, my freshman year. Your first year in college is full of new things whether it be places, people, interests, etc. Throughout the year you are growing and learning how all of these things fit into this new life that you are creating. The shock of being ripped out of this world that you have just started getting used to was a big one. Suddenly, everyone was back home and all of these new things were no longer a part of your world. Every one of us was tested greatly when it came to adapting to this new way of living. 

I was fortunate enough to have been able to return to Pace last fall and get to experience a little bit of normal once again. After the transition to online classes for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester, I knew that I wanted to take whatever form of an in-person class that I could. Whether we were taking walking tours or meeting in small groups while everyone else was on Zoom, my professors were able to successfully adapt to the hybrid format. This allowed me to actually enjoy these classes. I was surprised and proud of myself for being able to keep up with everything that was happening. However, when this semester started I realized none of my classes were meeting in person at all. I’ve definitely struggled with this adjustment and figuring out how to balance a fully online workload. However, I just keep reminding myself, as I believe we all should, to just be patient because none of this is “normal.” Now that I know Pace has plans to start moving back to an in-person campus and I am fortunate enough to have received the vaccine, I am hopeful for what’s to come for the rest of my college experience.