This year has been hard for many of the graduates of the class of 2020. Missing prom, football games, grad bash, graduation and the list goes on. Seniors that recently graduated have had to make some decisions on whether they want to stay home for online school or go to their campus. 

   Caroline Kadir is a class of 2020 graduate and is going to Pace University in New York. She says, “I chose to stay home to save money, it didn’t make sense to go to a very populated area where COVID numbers are high and put myself at risk when I can stay home and save money.” 

Caroline continues to say that she feels that she is kind of missing out because she can’t join clubs or do any activities, she says, “yes i can hop on zoom but it wouldn’t feel the same as it would in person.” She wants to go out and explore the city of New York and she can’t do that when she’s home but explains that financially it is the best option.

   When Caroline goes up to New York she wants to go explore the city and see some of her friends and family that live up there. Even though she can join group chats and zoom calls, she mentions that it doesn’t feel right.

   Unlike Caroline there are students who decided to leave because they had already paid for rent. PPCHS 2020 graduate, Ariana Ortiz and last year’s web editor of the school newspaper says that her and a few friends went up to FSU because they got an apartment together and they signed the lease in April. She explains that “at that time we thought that things with the virus would get better by fall. As the school got closer she said that things with the pandemic were not getting better and there was no way to break the lease without being liable for the rent cost for the rest of the year.” She says, “because I was going to have to pay, I decided to come up to school and at least go to libraries on campus to get to know Tallahassee.” 

   Many students have had to stress about whether to stay home and do online school from home or go away and live a life on their own. This might’ve not been the start of freshman year at college most students were imagining but at least people are “virtually” coming together to make the best out of tough times.