High school juniors talk about their upcoming senior year

by Josh Icasiano

The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic was rapid throughout the world. Many lives have been affected by the virus.  People have been getting sick, losing jobs, worrying about feeding their family and most unfortunate of all, dying.  Whether one has been affected directly or indirectly, this is arguably one the most significant historical event in recent years. According to the Johns Hopkins CoronaVirus Resource Center, over 4 million cases have been confirmed worldwide and so far has killed over 285,000 people. 

The virus does not only impact people it infects.  People who have not been infected have been forced to stay home and some have become unemployed during this pandemic. Along with businesses and other public places shutting down, schools have shut down as well. Students from elementary school to universities all over the country, were forced to continue their learning on online platforms. This proved to be a challenge for countless students. Shutting down the school wasn’t as straightforward as just not being able to come to class, but students also missed out on momentous experiences and memories.

For high schoolers, especially upperclassmen, the last two years are some of the most special. The senior class especially, felt the biggest brunt of this pandemic. From missing out on participating in sporting events to walking across the stage for graduation, this last year of high school was to be cut short for them. For juniors, it was put into perspective on how quickly lives could be changed. 

I spoke with Alex Zang (2021) of Judge Memorial Catholic High School about how his life has been affected by this pandemic and we discussed “What can be taken away from this as a junior going into senior year next year?”