Many of us had our last ever class at Laurier and didn’t know it

After four years at Laurier, my undergraduate career is coming to a close. In an alternate reality, I’d be sitting in the library on campus or at my favourite bubble tea shop writing my last article for The Cord, but instead, I’m stationed at a makeshift desk in my hometown. 

Amidst COVID-19, our world has turned upside down. While the virus claims our rights to using public spaces and de-stressing with family and friends, it’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is my last semester as a Golden Hawk. 

With everything being online now and some of us getting laid off from our jobs, it’s important to know that it’s okay to not be okay.

We have to acknowledge that even though we are fortunate, it is okay to be upset. All events have been cancelled. These included a lot of our final and defining moments. 

These are days that we won’t get back, especially if you are graduating after this semester. It’s not as easy as re-doing a class or just going to the next club event.  

Many of my peers were scared that the ceremonies would be cancelled altogether following in the footsteps of schools nearby. Yesterday, Laurier made a decision to postpone graduation ceremonies scheduled in June until it is safe to host them. 

Thankfully this means that now we know that we have a ceremony to look forward to once this trauma passes. 

As great as that news is, it doesn’t change the fact that I attended my last class at Laurier and I didn’t even know it. I’m sure many of my peers feel the same way — a little bit blindsided. Some of us have even made friends with others who we may never see again and did not get the chance to say goodbye.  

Our graduation has become a scary, uncertain, underwhelming experience. A time in our lives that is supposed to be full of celebration and congratulations has become isolated and remote. 

Sometimes we have to sit back and let things work out the way they are meant to. 

Where we may have lacked in experience will be made up somewhere down the road. We just have to wait it out. 

It is more important than anything right now that we do our parts in social distancing so that this virus does not keep spreading as it is. We have to look out for ourselves and for our communities during these unprecedented times. Our time to shine will come.

I’d like to thank Laurier for the last four years of my life. Thank you for deciding to allow us grads of 2020 to celebrate our hard work and achievements at a later date. It means the world to us. Thank you.