The academic year has ended and a long summer is ahead. Campus has been vacant of students for three months due to COVID-19 and students are facing new realities adjusting to the unexpected.
This period of time can be challenging for students on break wanting a summer of adventure but advised to follow statewide social distancing orders. Finding a balance between fears of infection and maintaining a social life proves a challenge for college students.
Emma Vigil, a UI sophomore, loves spending time enjoying the outdoors. She’ll be splitting her time this summer between Lewiston and Moscow.
“For the last month, I have been pretending it’s summer already and camping almost every weekend,” Vigil said. “I enjoy paddle boarding, boating, camping, hiking, swimming and RZR riding.”
Vigil has some friends to do these activities with her.
“I met great people in the Vandal community who love to do the same things, so it’s perfect,” Vigil said. “We all live in different places, from Spokane to Gooding, Idaho, and we meet up somewhere in the middle to camp.”
While social distancing guidelines are still in place, senior Nick Schofield plans to spend his time outdoors as well.
“I hope to spend the majority of my weekends this summer camping, hiking and fishing.” Schofield said.
He wants to travel around the Pacific Northwest as well.
“I might drive out to the Oregon Coast or up to Glacier National Park,” Schofield said.
Alyssa Lundgren, a sophomore at UI, has engaged in other kinds of activities. Lundgren is an officer for Kappa Alpha Theta and had fairly light responsibilities until the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now Lundgren discusses ways to keep the sorority open and safe by communicating with Kappa Alpha Theta headquarters.
“As a freshman, I feel like this position would’ve been a good introduction to leadership but it’s actually brought me to the front of the discussion,” Lundgren said. “I’ve grown up a lot and it’s really taught me the importance of communication and teamwork.”
Otherwise, Lundgren has spent her time finding new ways to relax.
“I’ve also spent the last month working on a paint by numbers that I’m hoping to finish today,” Lungdren said. “It’s been a really great distraction from the stress of quarantine.”
Vigil and Schofield had trips out of the country planned. Both trips were canceled.
“I was actually planning on going to southern Germany for a couple weeks this summer to take an intensive language program,” Schofield said. “Unfortunately, like most international programs, it was canceled.”
Vigil had planned to see family in Europe like she does every June, but her trip was canceled, too.
“I’m always really excited for this trip and to see my family that is abroad, but I understand that it’s safer to stay in the country right now,” Vigil said.
As many students do, Vigil, Schofield and Lundgren work during the summer.
Lundgren originally worked at The Hands On Children’s Museum, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines prevent the museum from reopening, so Lundgren took on work at a gym instead.
Schofield works as an ambassador for the James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research in Boise.
“I plan on creating a research report on refugees in Idaho including information on the resettlement process, where refugees are coming from and support the refugees receive,” Schofield said.
For him, working inside the facility is dependent on Idaho’s reopening plan going accordingly.
“Currently I’m working from home, but I should hopefully be able to start working in the office on June 15,” Schofield said.
Vigil’s summer job also requires being flexible, with essential care guidelines in place for the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am currently an ophthalmic technician at ClearView Eye Clinic in Moscow,” Vigil said. “We had to close due to COVID-19 for two weeks, but are now up and running. It is crazy to be in the healthcare field right now. The way we used to do things has changed so much to make it as safe as we can for our patients and so there’s a lot of learning at work right now.”
Stevie Carr can be reached at [email protected]