We all have a predestined adventure that is awaiting us when we turn five or six. We buy our first backpack and our first set of school supplies and we begin our 12 year education expedition. We look forward to every first day of school, only to dread the rest of the year. We make new friends, new memories, and learn new things about ourselves. We buckle ourselves in for an escapade that will take up approximately 15 percent of our entire lives, eagerly awaiting the end when we can walk across a stage to accept a piece of paper that tells the whole world: “I did it!”. We long for the final year of what has been our lives for so long, eager to make it the best it can be in order to feel ready to step into the next big thing life decides to throw at us. However, some of us… don’t get that final year and I think that we have a right to be upset and frustrated with the situation at hand.

Seniors all over the world are mourning the loss of that final, glorious year. All because of the widespread panic that is COVID-19. A pandemic that is killing so many and that is affecting so many people’s lives. Believe me when I say that as sad as I am about having my final year of school cut short, I do think closing down school was the best option. I don’t however agree with the sentiment that any senior should feel bad for mourning such a vital year of their lives. We are all mourning something during this time. The best decisions don’t always mean we’ll receive the best consequences, which is a tough pill to swallow. 

People are quick to say that we should be grateful that we’re not sick with the virus and that we’re healthy youngsters who still have the rest of their lives ahead of them. And they’re right! Those of us without underlying health conditions don’t have much of anything to sweat when it comes to the virus and sure, we won’t die if we catch it. The problem lies in the fact that the virus affects more than just those being killed by it or those who have it. 

Other people try to dote on us and make us feel better by guilting us into thinking our problems aren’t relevant by reminding us constantly that there are other people suffering because of it. I think this is wrong however and that we should be allowed to grieve. Nobody’s problems should be undermined, but that doesn’t mean we can’t feel sad about the lost opportunities that this virus has created. 

I’ll never have a senior breakfast or a last field day. I’ll never get to walk through my old elementary school and wave to the kids who are only just starting their predestiny. I’ll never get to experience prom quite like everyone else has and there’s a chance that I won’t get to have a senior trip with the rest of my class. It’s heartbreaking and it’s been a hard thing to accept. Do I think that my problems mean more than another person’s? No, of course not. I’ll always respect the decisions that are made to keep us safe, but we all have a right to grieve.

If you’re a senior who is having to miss such a vital part of their lives, just know that there are so many others out there who understand how you feel. Know that it’s okay to be upset and that it’s okay to feel like this isn’t fair, because it isn’t. Just keep hanging on and know that no matter what happens, there will be no other class like the class of 2020.