Freshman Maggie Jones gets up and logs onto her first class of the day, which is English, at her  desk in the corner by the window. She has a small break between her first two classes so she rushes to get ready to go to her second Google Meet. 

She then goes to her third class. Next she has lunch and then she ends the school day with her last hour.

“After that, I workout and do everything that I didn’t have time to do throughout the day because of my Google Meets,” Jones said. 

Her life has changed dramatically like that of many others according to Health Essentials, a Cleveland Clinic publication. “The pandemic has changed how we work, learn, and interact as social distancing guidelines have led to a more virtual existence, both personally and professionally,” it reported in September of 2020.

COVID-19 has restricted us from seeing our family and friends and not being able to enjoy ourselves especially as kids who want to enjoy being young. 

“I haven’t been able to spend time with friends very much and my classes have become more challenging,” freshman Maggie Jones said. 

Lots of people have also lost their jobs and haven’t been able to make money. 

According to the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, “Michigan’s preliminary annual average unemployment rate in 2020 was 9.7 percent, a significant jump of 5.6 percentage points above the 2019 annual average rate of 4.1 percent. This rate reflected pandemic-related job losses in Michigan. Total employment in Michigan averaged 4,392,000 in 2020, while total unemployment soared to 470,000. The state’s annual workforce level was 4,863,000 in 2020.” Although COVID-19 has not been the best for everyone it hasn’t been the worst. 

“I have gotten a lot more comfortable with myself and I have figured out what my actual interests are. It has been hard seeing people and everything but I still think it changed me in a good way,” freshman Macy Cipta said. 

COVID-19 resulted in different effects, both good and bad. 

According to Pew Research Center, “The vast majority of Americans (89%) mentioned at least one negative change in their own lives, while a smaller share (though still a 73% majority) mentioned at least one unexpected upside. Most have experienced these negative impacts and silver linings simultaneously: Two-thirds (67%) of Americans mentioned at least one negative and at least one positive change since the pandemic began.”