Graduating During A Pandemic

Special mention to our Spring 2020 PRSSA Kent graduates: 
Jill Golden – VP of Professional Relations, Leah Marxen – Treasurer, Britanei Eason, Kayla Proctor, Kody Elsayed and Jess Skitzki
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By: Jill Golden 
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Witnessing and experiencing a global pandemic is certainly not how I expected my senior year to end. Six weeks ago, I didn't think I would be in the situation I am in now. For four years I couldn't wait for my college graduation. I've always loved school, but I couldn't wait to start a new chapter in my life.
 
I was excited to dress in my cap and gown, cross the stage alongside my friends and invite my family to watch me take the next step in my future. This built up excitement has been taken away because of COVID-19. Even though my graduation is supposed to be postponed to an alternate date, I am no longer as excited as I once was. I feel like it just won't feel right to celebrate my graduation after months of finishing school. 
 
I also couldn't wait to take professional photos in my cap and gown on campus. This has been taken away from me as well. Instead, I got my creative juices flowing with the increase in free time and started thinking of a way to still do something similar. I decided to recruit my sister to take photos of me in the backyard while wearing my cousin's college graduation cap and gown. I also took an extra step and found my white high school tassel and dyed it dark red with food coloring to mimic the crimson College of Communication and Information tassel. While this isn't what I had imagined, it'll certainly make for a fun story in the future.
 
The other difficult part during this pandemic is how I didn't get the opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to classmates and professors, as well as take in the bittersweet feeling of experiencing my last day of school ever. Though for good reason, everything was halted so quickly, that I didn't get to take in my last moments at Kent State. As I type this I am trying to remember what my classes were like, and I am struggling to remember since I didn't know those classes would be the last.
 
The end of my senior year is definitely not like what I was expecting, but it has given me a different perspective on life. I've started thinking about how thankful I am for the health of my family, easy access to food, water and medical care and a safe and happy home. So while my graduation experience isn't what I was initially hoping for, I've found the good in this situation and it’s shown me what to be thankful for.