The Senior Year That Wasn’t: Jennifer Z.

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Many of us would agree that our Senior year of High School was one of the most memorable years of our life. Between graduation, college acceptance letters, Prom, and the knowledge that it’s the last year spent in your hometown (and parents’ house no less), it’s a time that we both never want to end, and can’t get past soon enough. Unfortunately, for the class of 2020, most of these traditions were devastated by COVID-19. In this series, we chat with Seniors to find out the extent of the impact to their final year of High School and what they’ve done to salvage those memories.

Meet Jennifer Z.! Jennifer Z. was born in China but spent the majority of her childhood in Australia. She’s currently a Year 13 student at Dulwich College Beijing (DCB).

Can you briefly walk us through how COVID-19 has evolved for you, personally? What were your initial thoughts? At what point did you realize the devastation and disruption it was causing? How do you currently feel?

The first time I saw a report on COVID-19, I was about to fly out for Chinese New Year. During the next week of festivities, the whole thing completely slipped out of my mind. When I got back to Beijing, it was surreal to turn on the TV and see that it was now a nationwide pandemic. It seems like everything escalated all at once after that: school getting canceled, theaters and malls shutting down, all large public meetings being banned. Living in Beijing right now feels a little like inhabiting a ghost town.

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Senior year of High School is supposed to be one of the most memorable years of your life. Unfortunately, however, you and your peers aren’t getting to enjoy all that it has to offer. Can you tell us a bit about that? What are the conversations that are happening amongst your friends right now?

Although everyone’s doing our best to stay positive, it’s definitely hard not to feel like we’re missing out sometimes. Leavers’ assembly, grad trip, the last day of high school, these are all supposed to be major milestones in our lives, and knowing that we’ll never get to experience them in the way other classes have experienced them is disheartening. Nevertheless, the school is still planning ways we can celebrate under our current circumstances. We’re incredibly lucky to still be safe and to have methods like WeChat/FaceTime to communicate with each other.

What activities were you most looking forward to this year that have either been postponed or canceled? 

Above anything, I was looking forward to my grad trip. My friends and I were planning to take a two-week trip to Korea and Japan, and before the outbreak we’d sketched out an itinerary and even started booking accommodation. Sadly, all that has been put on hold due to the outbreak.

Has COVID-19 affected your ability to graduate at all?

Luckily, the impact has been quite minimal. Although IB May exams have been canceled, the IBO has been very supportive with ensuring that students still receive a diploma through a thorough grading process. Colleges have also shown a commendable amount of understanding during this time, sending out constant updates and resources for mental health support to prospective students.

Has COVID-19 affected your plans for after graduation? If so, how? 

Like many of my peers, I’ve been planning to go to the States for college for as long as I can remember. With the recent spread of the virus across the US, however, it’s disheartening to turn on the news every day and see escalating incidences of xenophobia and discrimination against Asian-Americans abroad. Of course, there’s also the unresolved question of whether we can get a student visa in time for the start of the Fall semester. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things will be better by September!

Despite all that has happened this year, have you done anything to try and salvage these last few months of your High School experience?

Of course! Over the last few weeks, I’ve participated in and heard about some truly creative online hangouts, from virtual brunch to WeChat game nights to a group baking competition held over video call. It’s funny how before the pandemic, we were always told off for using social media too much, but now that everyone’s in quarantine, our digital addiction is what’s keeping us sane.

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Photos: Courtesy of Jennifer Z., giphy

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