When COVID-19 first became a real threat, I was worried about having to go into quarantine for months. But when that actually happened, it became a good experience and I learned so much about myself and society. When I first had to leave school, I was anxious about having to learn everything online, but I was able to adapt and finish all of my classes with an A. I learned that I’m able to quickly adapt to new and sometimes stressful situations, which turned out to be very useful. I also tried to make a routine for myself, so I would get up around the same time each day, eat breakfast, get dressed, and then start my schoolwork for the day. Having a routine helped me adjust to this new life and to have a regular schedule, which I think helped me tremendously. Although I missed my friends, having to quarantine showed me who my real friends are, and who actually cares enough to talk to me even when we can’t see each other in person. Since I had so much more free time, I started exercising more often, which soon turned into working out every day. Exercising was a stress reliever for me, and it helped me cope with some of the stress brought on by COVID-19. I developed a regular workout schedule and have stuck to it. I have seen so much progress in my overall health and strength, and I’m so proud of myself for sticking to this and being dedicated to make a change. My family also started our own little routine every night where we would watch the local/national news, then eat dinner together and watch our favorite TV show. Watching the news really helped me understand what was going on, and showed me how badly the Federal government handled this crisis. I learned that the world is very divided, and the world leaders didn’t work together very much to try to handle the virus. I made an effort to educate myself about the current issues in the country, and it has drastically changed the way I see society and the rest of the world. Overall, I think the COVID-19 pandemic has positively affected my life, and my family and I have been very lucky to not have gotten the virus.

In 2018, my family took a vacation to the Grand Canyon and surrounding National Parks. It was a fun trip, but it was also challenging at times, because some of the hikes we took were into canyons and up steep hills. I took this picture during a hike in Bryce Canyon. We had just made it up a particularly difficult part of the trail, and I thought the view was well worth the work.