Serai Bogran of Haverhill is an 18-year-old Journalism student in her second semester at Northern Essex Community College. She has had a hard time adjusting to her new routine of completing her courses online, while dealing with all the distractions that accompany the use of technology and living with four other people.
She has three younger siblings. Two of her siblings, ages 9 and 13 are also adjusting to remote learning. She has been helping them in addition to trying to stay on track with her own school work.
Bogran works at a grocery store but has not been able to go back to work after her family was directly affected by COVID-19. A relative passed away from the virus, causing her family great distress.
Her family is trying to take advantage of this time by keeping busy. Bogran herself is spending more time on art which is one of her passions.
“I’ve definitely got to work on my art more, like drawing and sewing. Even though it’s pretty hectic, there’s definitely more bonding time and time to declutter the house.” Bogran says.
The biggest lesson she has learned through this is how important it is to appreciate everything. “I’ve never realized how much I would miss school after not being there for so long, and as I’ve said before, I personally have to be in an actual classroom with real teachers and classmates. I really miss my friends, too, so I appreciate their friendship a lot more. So, I think the biggest lesson for everyone is to appreciate the little things,” she says.
Bogran believes that even though a lot of bad has come with the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a lot of good as well. Many people are coming together and trying to make a difference.
Many students going through hard times can relate to Bogran’s story and personal experience. I know I can relate with a lot of what she has been going through and what she has taken from this all.
In the end, what matters is to stay positive and grateful for having the gift of time, to bed creative, or just work on yourself or your family. Right now, we’ve never felt more isolated, yet we’ve never been more united.
During this pandemic, we are all going through new experiences without much time for preparation, or any type of familiarity. Worldwide, this is something we all must adjust to and learn from. However, a lot of the time, we forget to appreciate the little things, and this crisis might just be our biggest wake up call.
