By: Rebecca Kratz

As this year is coming to an end, it is important to recognize how abnormal of a year this has been for seniors. It was not the imagined senior year that all of them had been expecting. But everyone tried made the most of their situation. We asked two seniors to reflect on how their past year.

Vishwa Shukla:

Vishwa said that it was a super odd year. Learning virtually or hybrid for most of the year was

an experience she never thought she would endure. It was harder for her to focus in class and participate in group work. As most people do, she confidently says that she prefers a completely in person year. However,

just like any other year, she was able to make some great memories (whether that be staying up late over FaceTime to finish a project or finally seeing all her friends together when allowed to

return fully in person school). She also took so many interesting classes this year. Focusing on this new content she was learning helped her push past the lack of motivation when she couldn’t go outside. She says it is a bittersweet feeling to be at the end of her high school career. On one hand, she is super proud of what she has accomplished

and cannot wait to move forward to the next chapter of her life, but on the other hand she is going to miss all the great people she has met at Briarcliff. She wouldn’t give up these past four years for anything.

Angela Cao:

Angela believes that it is only natural to come into your high school senior year with high expectations, since it is your special year on the “top of the food chain”. It is typically filled with many events celebrating your accomplishments and efforts over your four years of high school. Therefore, she does feel a bit sad knowing that she missed out on many events especially at the beginning of the school year including showing the freshman around at orientation, back-to-school barbeque, and in general being in-person for school. But she realized that she had
no choice but to adapt to the changes for the sake of herself and others. However, she appreciates that she had the opportunity to come back to school in person with all her friends and peers.

Despite the atypical year, she has not only made precious memories with people she loves but also experiences that are unique to the pandemic atmosphere. The pandemic allowed her to enjoy virtual club experiences, new ways of entertainment and growth at home, spending more time outdoors with friends, and an outdoor tent prom. For her, different is not necessarily worse. 20 years later when she looks back to her 2020 year, she will probably feel that she has little regrets and recognize this “different” year including all the challenges we as a community had to overcome as something that makes her 2020 special. In the end, she is thankful for making the most out of her senior year, in terms of education, college applications, and the celebratory events of the graduating class of 2021.