The class of 2020 seniors- the 9/11 babies raised in a time of mass school shootings and social change that are now victims of a global pandemic. One could say that this year’s seniors are not strangers to hardships. The ability to improvise, adapt and overcome is not just instrumental in surviving high school, but overcoming the difficulties of daily life.
While all people encounter problems of their own degree of difficulty and timing, the power to overcome such obstacles aids in any situation. Despite originating as an unofficial slogan among marines, I first encountered the concept of improvising, overcoming and adapting in John Preston’s Honors Chemistry class during my sophomore year. What was printed on a laminated paper and stuck to the wall would eventually become words to live by.
Not only did the ability to overcome hardships help me in passing my chemistry course- which I do not take lightly- it had aided me throughout high school. Whether it was passing my drama class despite my aversion to public speaking, or adapting to changes in my life, such a form of problem solving has ensured my success throughout my high school career and growth in general.
Even with my senior year being cut three months short, I continue to use such optimism as a tool for daily life. When seniors left school for spring break, we had no idea it would be our last time walking the hallways. Upon mourning all the events that we would not get to experience- such as prom and normal graduation- seniors were faced with the obstacle of completing a quarter’s worth of classes and preparing for college.
Regardless of the help from family members and faculty, the transition to online learning was difficult and dependent on one’s state of mind. The “senioritis” that most of us already had was now doubled by the fact that we had to adjust to a completely different way of learning. A victim of such a feeling myself, I had to improvise in my learning, overcome the changes in my education and lifestyle, as well as adapt to this new form of daily life.
Whether it be to survive the hardships of high school or endure the challenges of daily life, students need to learn to improvise, overcome and adapt. This is done so by acting spontaneously, seeing past the problem and accommodating the change. After all, even though the senior class will not get to experience some of the biggest milestones of their final year in high school, students, faculty and community members have remained optimistic in a time of struggle through support and encouragement of this year’s seniors.