More and More Every Day – Kazandra, 4/7/20

It’s Not “Just an Associates” to Me

By Kazandra
Student, South Mountain Community College

I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and this is my last semester at South Mountain Community College. I graduated high school one semester early, and as much as I wanted to take a semester off, both of my parents did not allow it. I started college right away, and that semester I kept telling myself, “I can’t wait to be done.” That time has now come, and to many, it’s “just an Associates,” but to me, it’s a stepping stone, it’s proof that I am capable of getting an education and sticking with it. Now, because of this virus some students can’t walk. Graduation is what we look forward to, yes we still get our degrees without walking across the stage, but to many others and not just myself, this specific Graduation is the first one our families will see, and hopefully not the last. So yes, it is “just an Associates,” but you take a look at the world around us, and some of us don’t even make it to get “just an Associates.” 

If someone had told me a month ago, I would be doing all my classes online without having to make the commute to school; I would say that it’s too good to be true. A few weeks of being home, I now wholeheartedly wish I would have taken advantage of the small detail of being able to learn in a classroom. As much as I love being home, I miss having the option of going versus being told I can not leave my home unless needed. In the last few weeks of being at home, I have binged watched all of my shows: Empire, Power, All American, Greys Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, etc. Unbelievably I have nothing to binge-watch anymore. 

At the beginning of this pandemic, I was not taking it seriously, and I think everyone saw and heard that more people have passed away from the flu, and here we are being dramatic about the coronavirus. Today I feel fear, not so much for the pandemic, but I see how fast the numbers increase dramatically in such a short period. I fear that others may not take this seriously, and not take the orders from higher officials to stay home and limit the use of having to go outside. 

On the bright side, I can spend time with my parents and siblings, the downside we all get on each other’s nerves a lot faster, and our WiFi feels slower because everyone is working from home (LOL). Since being home, I have challenged myself to stay off social media and begin to read books, it has been tough keeping myself on track to do so, but it seems to get easier each day. Another downside, I eat everything in sight, and I hope that isn’t just me. It has been harder to keep myself on track to work out since all gyms are closed. I go running around my neighborhood to get my cardio in. Still, I have no motivation to continue my workouts from home as opposed to being motivated to go to the gym every day. This pandemic is the perfect example that we should cherish absolutely everything, no matter how big or small it is because, in a blink of an eye, our extracurricular activities can be taken from us.

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Insta: @smcchistorystory
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