By early March 2020, many University of Colorado Boulder  students were becoming aware of the threat that the University was going to essentially shut down, as the cases of COVID-19, a mostly unknown virus at the time, had been rising in the U.S. As a freshman, I was scared to go home months before I was supposed to—to have the rest of my first year of college taken away from me. 

From that moment on, everything changed. We were notified to evacuate the campus and the next thing I knew, I was packing up my dorm room and having to say goodbye to my life in Boulder. This new reality was something I couldn’t grasp. I didn’t think it was real. Going home and not being able to leave my house and stocking up on groceries because we didn’t know how long we would be under the stay-at-home mandate—it was terrifying. 

One of the greatest lessons of 2020 was learning adaptability, as we all were faced with confronting an unknown virus that threatened to change our lives forever. It challenged us to adjust not just our routines, but our expectations. 

Having to still attend my classes (remotely) in the midst of such fear was challenging. As a social individual who loves being around others, I enjoyed the academic environment and in-person classes because they provided opportunities to interact with others. Attending class in a large lecture hall and getting to meet new students was one of my favorite parts about my pre-COVID-19 freshman year. After campus closed, however, I was isolated and confined to my home in Castle Rock, and left with fewer opportunities to connect with others. 

However, while it was initially difficult to find ways to motivate myself, having classes on Zoom throughout the past year has forced me to change my academic routine for the better. As a result, I learned to make more of an effort to meet with teachers and engage with the material my class is learning, finding success in the virtual classroom. Looking forward, there’s hope for more in-person learning opportunities, as I currently have one in-person class each day of the week and the University recently announced plans to return “to a more traditional in-person experience” in the upcoming fall 2021 semester.

The need to adjust and adapt was not just felt amongst individuals as a result of COVID-19, but amongst organizations as well–namely, CU Boulder Greek life. As a member of Greek life, there was a lot of uncertainty about the future at the beginning of the pandemic, such as whether or not members would be able to live in a sorority house the following semester or not. While physically separated, many of us continued to support and comfort each other as much as possible. 

This year, much has changed in regards to how Greek life has operated. Back then, we would have date dashes, mixers and chapter meetings in-person. Today, however, the majority of those events are virtual or involve wearing a mask while social distancing. It’s been difficult connecting with the new freshman. Normally by this point of the semester, everyone knows each other, but this year with Zoom chapter meetings and online events, it is more difficult to connect with the newer members of my sorority. 

To adapt to these more restrictive circumstances and continue to make connections, I’ve begun putting more effort into reaching out to the members in my sorority, similar to how I began reaching out to my professors. While this may not seem ideal, it’s offered new opportunities; without doing this, I wouldn’t have the relationships I do today–over Zoom or in person. For returning and new members of the chapter, everyone is learning to make the best out of the situation at hand. 

Kyla Wrenn, a freshman in the sorority Alpha Phi at CU Boulder, is my “little” in my sorority. When asked her feelings about this year, she explains: “Of course I would’ve loved for things to be in-person for rush and the first semester, but everyone worked with what we had and I give major props to everyone who had a part in putting together virtual rush and other events the best they could while in a pandemic.”

Wrenn continues, “Although it was pretty different from what I heard others say their rush experience [and beginning of college] was like, I was still so glad to feel like I was a part of something and that I fit in somewhere.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, my life was very different. I was a freshman who packed as many activities into my schedule as possible on a daily basis. While being forced into a more isolated, remote lifestyle has posed its challenges, I’ve learned to become more adaptable and intentional when forming relationships with others. As we gradually move forward towards a less socially-restricted society, we can carry with us the lessons the pandemic taught us, giving us the chance to create an even better future.