A year full of triumphs and tribulations is coming to an eventful yet sorrowful conclusion. The last page will turn over gently and the future is only a horizon away.
In a somewhat miraculous fashion, the Vandal family has gracefully come about the end of perhaps the most notorious academic year in University of Idaho history. The struggles we faced were unprecedented. Our response was unwavering.
In the face of adversity, we stared it down with conviction and contempt. One foot in front of the other. Each step more direct than the one before, we trudged on into the uncertainties and we came out on top. If it wasn’t for each other, who knows where we would’ve landed.
The lasting societal effects of COVID-19 have been nothing short of terrible. Our once bolstering fellowship as Vandals was stripped away. Sure, the weekly tailgates and drunken mishaps are nothing special, but that’s part of our culture. The day-to-day grind of walking uphill to classes ceased. Athletic events were nonexistent for most of the year. School-held events were mitigated to meet strict guidelines. Life as a college student was a thing of the past.
Yet, we trudged on. We adjusted to the complications. We went without the college experience. We did and did not do what we must.
Now, as the light at the end of the tunnel gets bigger and brighter, we face a whole new world of experiences.
Summer will be a time to rejuvenate. A time to reflect on, quite frankly, the atrocious year we all just went through. We know we’re not the only ones who are counting down the seconds until we’re free from the shackles of Zoom lectures.
By the time we come back to school, life will look a lot different. We may be back in the classroom learning in person. We may be fortunate enough to not wear masks. We may be able to socialize past the restrictions that hold us back today. We’ll see friends, meet new people and celebrate.
All of these half-baked promises resemble sprinkles on a bad cake. The fact of the matter is, it will be a long time before we look back and laugh at the year of COVID-19. However, next year grants us the opportunity to make the most out of our sparingly short lives.
If this year did anything good, it gave us a perspective that will outlast the college experience. Life is too short to worry about the little things that go awry in a day-to-day context. This past year proved that. Our whole world turned upside down and we still made it out okay.
We are at the cusp of unwarranted potential to have the most amazing, classically fun time of our lives. We have the ability to let the little things roll right off our shoulders. Focusing on the big picture, we can be driven, successful and happy.
As Vandals, the time spent this year worried and upset at the state of the world was painful. We don’t think there is a single soul on this campus who didn’t feel that pain. Though there may be no bandage large enough to prevent scarring, time will heal.
As this chapter of Vandal life comes to a bittersweet ending, a new one will begin. Hopefully much longer and fulfilling, this chapter will bring about a newfound appreciation for our time spent on campus.
Read every word in this chapter like it’s bolded. Treat every experience you will have like it is your last. Together the Vandal family will survive and prosper, just as it always has done.
We think we speak for everyone when we say we can’t wait for this year to be over, but we also can’t wait for the next one to begin. The book of Vandals hosts hundreds of chapters; surely, the next one will be leagues ahead of the last.
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