Dear Class of 2020,

As recently as two months ago, I could never imagine that I would be here—sitting at my house on a Tuesday morning in the middle of April, pondering everything that my class would be doing as it vanishes into thin air. It is around this time when we would usually focus on senior skip day, the senior prank, Project Graduation, prom, graduation and all the lasts that come with the end of our four years at LASA. I could sit here all day and list all the things that we’re missing and can never get back. However, now more than ever, it is important to showcase our resiliency and determination as we prepare for our imminent college careers and everything beyond that.

Is it fair for us to be robbed of these last memories of high school, especially after all the work that we have done for the last four years? No. Put simply, it sucks. Looking back at it now, it seems crazy to me that I woke up at 7 a.m. on an ordinary Thursday morning more than a month ago, went to school and didn’t think anything of it. For many of us, we went to school on our last day of high school and didn’t even know it. As I think of that last day now, I never could have imagined this is where we would be today: online classes for the rest of the year, prom and graduation canceled and the very real prospect of never seeing so many of my classmates again. There will be many sad days ahead of us as we are constantly reminded of everything that we are missing and everything we will never get. No doubt, there will be many disappointments ahead for all of us. As I write this, on what would have been senior skip day, I am once again disappointed as I am reminded of the memories we will never make.

Our senior year, which was supposed to be the year where we could finally celebrate ourselves and our achievements of not only the last four years but also everything that brought us here, is turning out nothing at all like we could have ever imagined. It is okay to mourn the loss of everything that we are losing, but one tragedy of this situation is spending too much time focusing on what could have been instead of trying to move on to what can be. Being cooped up inside and unable to see our friends is not ideal, but with all this time there is still a lot to do to pass the time. I, myself, have been spending my newfound free time by trying out arts and crafts, working out more, binging new TV shows, spending time with my family and doing many group FaceTime calls with my friends.

That being said, I think it is still important to celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of the last 12 years. It’s important to remember that the best days and years are still ahead for us, and there is so much for us to look forward to as we prepare to go to college and beyond. We all have very bright futures, and we will have the opportunity to see each other one last time when we have our rescheduled graduation on August 13!

Stay strong class of 2020! We can do it!