How to Celebrate Finishing up the First Online School Year
This year students are finishing their first (and hopefully last) year learning online during COVID-19. There are many reasons to celebrate completing this challenging university year.
University students deserve to be proud of persevering through the added stressors and struggles due to COVID-19. Here are some ideas of safely wrap up the school year.
1. Picnic with a friend you met in Zoom classes
Try takeout from a new restaurant or prepare summer foods at home and socially distance under the sun. If this isn’t possible, have a Zoom call.
This gives you an opportunity to compare and relate to someone else’s online university experience and get excited about future in person classes.
2. Ask your favourite professor to Zoom call for a fun chat
Any professor would love to hear about how their teaching techniques were effective and engaging since adapting to a new learning platform.
Let a professor know that their hard work and efforts to make online learning a positive experience is appreciated because much of their year consisted of disengaged students blocking themselves out with black screens.
3. Make a bucket list for the summer
Nothing’s better than looking forward to the future in excitement. Get excited about the summer and the new experiences it will bring by writing down fun, safe activities that will get you away from screens and sitting.
4. Go swimming at the beach
Nothing is better than celebrating warm weather on an island by taking a lil dippy in the ocean. Celebrate a start to new beginnings by diving into the salty ocean and feeling refreshed and new from completing classes.
5. Print out photos from the past term
Reflect on the times in between the long hours being glued to a screen by picking your favourite photo memories from the school term and decorate your room or gift them to friends.
Remind yourself that the restrictions of online school didn’t limit or prevent your quality of life. We all found ways to meet new people, try new things, and interact with the physical world outside of our continuous screen life.
We all deserve to be proud of ourselves for choosing to learn at University during a restrictive pandemic. Do something that reminds you that it was all worth it in the end.
