A Blast to the Past?

Hello everyone! I hope your semester has been going well so far! For me personally, I have found this semester to be an interesting change. It has been almost a year since we went into this crazy COVID-19 lockdown system for college. What I find funny is that some of us have already gotten used to it! Since last April, many of us have made it our routine to wake up five minutes before class, open up our laptops in our pajamas and tune into a lecture. If you are hungry, you can carry your laptop to your kitchen to grab some food and go right back to learning. If you have to use the bathroom, you could get up and go without distracting the class. Initially, this was difficult for sure, but after some time, it almost felt comfortable.

Seven months ago, I would’ve said that online school was so difficult for me and I wanted nothing more than to be back in a classroom! But, per human nature, we find our ways to adapt and now I honestly don’t mind taking classes through zoom or blackboard collaborate. What I find interesting is how it has felt transitioning back to being on campus more. In the same way we had to learn how to do online classes, we may have to relearn some stuff about being back on campus. Luckily, most students I have been able to talk to and meet with have had a decent transition back and haven’t faced too many issues getting to class and learning well.

A Historic Moment that We Will Never Forget

In light of it being February, I think back to where we were a year ago. For me, it was the second semester of my sophomore year here, and I had been taking Organic Chemistry 2, Human Anatomy and Human Genetics. Although the coursework was difficult, I had found a rhythm of coming to campus, studying before class and meeting with my friends to get work done. In our cadaver lab, my classmates and I would sometimes go at 1 a.m. just because we enjoyed it so much. Around March, there had been rumors about this thing called the coronavirus. Being a cell and molecular biology major, I had just felt like it would be a new flu situation that would be sorted out early on and easily, especially since there hadn’t really been many cases in the United States. Come spring break time, there was talk about us having an additional couple weeks for spring break for the purposes of discussing what the plan of action would be for Missouri State. At one point, I talked to a couple of my professors about what would happen, and they even seemed unsure.

Over break, it was a weird situation. My mom had been telling me about how I might have to start wearing a mask in public to avoid getting the virus, which I didn’t really understand. Near the end of break I was home with my parents and I finally understood how serious the situation was. I heard from family that their regions had been going into a lockdown, telling residents to stay home and only leave if completely necessary. With a small sense of panic, my mom and I made a quick run to the Walmart to grab as much stuff as we needed; I had to return to my apartment in Springfield and I didn’t really have much.

From there on the rest is history. When all of us get older, we will have this crazy story about how we lived through a massive pandemic, similar to the ways our parents and grandparents faced their own diversity throughout their lives. We have come very far since this all began, and I am proud of how all of us students have done our best to make the situation better and take care of ourselves. Hopefully in the near future we will be able to overcome this whole situation but, until then, keep pushing forward and working hard!

(BIO: My name Is Michael Rexroad, a transfer student from Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. I am a junior currently studying cell and molecular biology with a minor in chemistry.)