BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — We are all familiar with Zoom calls and distance learning which, as we continue to find out, hasn’t been an easy adjustment for some students, but now, nearly one year after distanced learning began, seniors are getting ready to graduate high school.
Sara Garcia, a senior at Ridgeview High School, has now spent nearly a year away from this campus, taking her classes at home, she admits it’s been difficult and has impacted her mental health, but that hasn’t stopped her from achieving her goals, including graduating.
“I have missed out on all of the things that I was looking forward to since I was a freshman,” said Garcia.
when Sara Garcia first started high school, her senior year was always something she was excited about, but when that year finally came, it was nowhere near what she expected.
“I was really looking forward to football season and homecoming and prom and formal and senior ditch day,” said Garcia.
With a full year of distance learning at Ridgeview High School, all of that was taken away. Sara, who’s now a senior says, the hardest part was not seeing her peers every day.
"Just not being able to see all of the people in my classes that I wouldn’t see outside of school because we are not that close, but we would be close in the classes. That was really tough because we would just not talk anymore, and it sucked.”
For Sara, school was more than just a place to get an education.
“I didn’t realize how necessary school was for me, for my mental health.”
Like many students, Sara’s motivation went up and down at the beginning of the school year due to learning through Zoom calls and being away from her friends.
“It took a nosedive right before thanksgiving, I remember just being really super unmotivated, I didn’t want to do anything, my room was constantly a mess, which is not me, I am a very organized person.”
But, she didn’t give up and says that with the help of those friends and family she was able to not only get through school but this difficult time, and is now focused on the next step
“I was accepted into CSUB, thankfully, and I am going into pre-health care to become a nurse.”
For those who may be struggling through school during the pandemic, Sara encourages students to reach out to friends and family to stay as connected as possible.
“As much as you might be bored or have no motivation or feel like ‘what’s the point’, finding something that you are so passionate about helps so much and makes it all worthwhile.”
For students that may be struggling with distance learning, health professionals encourage you to communicate with friends and family.
