2020 in Review

As midnight struck on New Year’s Eve, I sat on the couch with my family watching the ball drop in Times Square. I’ve spent many others New Year’s Eves doing the exact same thing, but this year felt different. For the first time, I spent the majority of the year stuck in my house, hesitant to venture into public because of the raging pandemic. I only spent two months at Princeton, instead of two full semesters. This was a year like no other, and while I know 2021 won’t be perfect as we continue the long journey of overcoming the coronavirus, I am hopeful that it will be better.

I last wrote an update in June after completing my second semester of sophomore year. I ended up having a pretty good summer, all things considered. I had a fantastic internship at Global Fund for Women, a non-profit that funds gender justice movements around the world. Even though it was virtual, I gained many valuable skills, such as project management and communications for nonprofits. One of my primary tasks was overseeing a virtual movie screening tour, for which I helped to manage over 100 events. Zoom was used in Global Fund for Women’s workflow before the pandemic, so even while across the country from their headquarters in San Francisco, I felt included in the workplace culture and enjoyed getting to know my amazing coworkers. I even participated in their book club! I am so glad I had this enjoyable internship experience.

At the same time as my internship at Global Fund for Women, I also participated in a virtual disability advocacy class through the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). I was originally supposed to intern in Congress as part of AAPD’s internship program. While I was sad that the internship component was postponed to this upcoming summer, I really appreciated how they still offered virtual programming. I learned so much about important disability rights issues in healthcare, education, and employment. I improved my advocacy skills by meeting with Senator Chris Van Hollen and getting him to co-sponsor an important bill called the Accessible Voting Act! Most importantly, I became friends with a fantastic group of young adults with disabilities from all over the country. Hopefully, we can participate in the program in-person this summer in DC.

Before too long, it was time to start the fall semester of my junior year. At first, Princeton had said that freshmen and juniors would be allowed back to campus, and I was all set to go. Three weeks before class started, Princeton changed its mind and only permitted students with emergency housing needs to live on campus. I was disappointed at first, but with rising COVID-19 cases, it was probably the right decision.

So I stayed at home for another semester and took a variety of interesting classes: Ethics and Public Policy, International News: Migration Reporting, American Women’s History, Studies in Spanish Language and Style, and Improving Health Care for Vulnerable Populations in the U.S. During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The journalism class was my favorite because I learned about all sorts of immigration policy issues and then got to interview fascinating people for my articles. We had many lively discussions featuring impressive guest speakers, and still managed to form a close-knit community, even virtually. Another highlight of the semester was the class about health disparities in the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a policy task force required for my major. I wrote a long research paper on the importance of home and community-based services, which ensure that senior citizens and people with disabilities can receive support and assistance at home in a way that maximizes independence and prioritizes safety, instead of forcing them into nursing homes. As we have seen, people living in long-term care facilities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, so I appreciated the opportunity to research how to move people out of nursing homes.

Outside of class, I stayed busy in my role as an Associate News Editor for The Daily Princetonian. I am so proud of the reporting we’ve done since we were sent home in March. At a time when students were spread out around the world, our reporting kept the campus connected and informed. The Prince was a source of community for me through regular virtual social events with some of my closest friends. I also served as the Maryland and Delaware State Director for Vote100, a group that worked to increase voting and political engagement, and formed a student government task force to address the challenges students with disabilities face.

Although the semester was overall pretty good, my family hit a rough patch towards the end. First, my beloved dog Bree had to be put down at the age of 12 due to cancer and old age. Our house hasn’t been the same since then. The very next day, Mom-Mom, my grandma, went to the hospital with cardiac issues, and she stayed there until she passed away early in the morning on Christmas Day. In a year when so many people have lost loved ones due to the coronavirus, this double whammy of loss hit me pretty hard. I hadn’t seen my grandma since last Thanksgiving and instead relied on weekly phone calls to keep in touch with her. I feel fortunate that I wrote a paper about her in my women’s history class, and my dad and aunt decided to use it as her obituary, which you can read here. I was expecting to be super sad during and after her virtual memorial service, but honestly, in a strange way, I felt a sort of happiness because it just radiated love and appreciation. I was just gratified to hear so many people speak about how much they loved my grandma and how she influenced and inspired them. My grandma was such an inspiration to me and I will always cherish the memories I have with her. She will be greatly missed.

I want to end this mega post by thanking my friends and family for their support during my grieving process and throughout the pandemic in general. This has been a tough time for all of us, and I feel truly lucky to have such an amazing support network to keep me going. Many people who will read this post checked in on me with frequent texts after my grandma’s death, dropped food off at our front door, and made me smile and laugh at a time when I really needed it. I am so grateful for friends like you. I am about to return to campus for the spring semester, and while I know it won’t be anything close to normal, I am really looking forward to going back to Princeton. I hope everyone reading this post has a fantastic 2021 filled with love, friendship, good health, and happiness. Let’s hope for a better year ahead!