Sometimes, it’s hard to find any feelings of hope. It’s hard to stay happy, positive and push forward. Sometimes, it’s hard just to get out of bed. To eat. To join your online classes. To put effort into your schoolwork. To enjoy online school at all. We ponder what this is that we’re going through.

These are just some of the effects COVID-19 has had on us as teens and students. We miss being able to visit our friends and go to each other’s houses, ride in cars together, go out for a meal or coffee in a restaurant with a friend, and go on adventures together. Our lives seem to have been put on hold. Sometimes restrictions loosen up, only to be made tighter once again. It feels discouraging and can cause us to be left feeling frustrated, tired and empty. We wonder, “Will things ever actually go back to normal again? Are these effects going to last forever?”

As a Grade 12 student, it can be hard to get excited about graduation. We can’t create any definite plans because restrictions may change at any given moment. We most likely won’t be able to experience all the things we’ve looked forward to for years - a dinner together with our classmates, friends and family; a graduation in a building, walking across the stage, group photos, shaking hands and hugging each other, and spending time with many friends and family. Most of all, we won’t be able to catch familiar faces in the crowd, smile, wave, and feel the support of all those in the building. 

How do we find hope in the midst of such uncertainty? How can we make the best of a seemingly pitiful graduation? I think it’s difficult for anyone to come up with a solid answer to that. I feel a little discouraged myself, thinking that I won’t get to experience a graduation like so many people have. But what I can remind myself of is this - there are so many effects of COVID-19; my graduation is not the only thing affected by it. Everyone has been affected in some way or another, and it doesn’t help to complain or feel down about your own situation. Yes, it’s difficult to get positive and stay excited about all the unknowns when planning an event, but we can remember that life will not always be this way. Things will improve, even if it may take a long time. We’re all in this together, so let’s encourage each other, build each other up, and stay positive even in these trying times.