A month ago, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students were cresting the midpoint of the spring semester and looking forward to spring break - and, in some cases, college graduation.
Since mid-March, though, they have been displaced and relegated to online classes due to UTC's COVID-19 campus closure.
Some were seniors enjoying the last few weeks of their undergraduate studies. Some have lost jobs, housing and social connections. Some are living at home with parents and enduring "house rules" for the first time in years.
Members of the feature writing class in the UTC Communications department agreed to share some of their experiences and emotions as online classes wind down for the year. (Their comments have been condensed for brevity.)
Riley Gentry, 22
Brentwood, Tennessee
I have been laid off from my [ice cream shop] job, I have had to move back in with my parents and I have been robbed of my last semester of college as an undergraduate student.
The life I knew in Chattanooga seems like a distant memory now as I haven't been back there in nearly a month. I have been cut off from the independent life I once led with only a single roommate and am now adjusting to life with my parents again, along with my older sister, her fiance and my nephew.
I think the hardest part of all of this is losing my job and a source of income. It is very stressful to think about the bills I have to pay now that I don't have a job and I know I'm not alone in saying that. This pandemic is easily the most burdensome time in my life.
Germyah Batey, 22
Nashville, Tennessee
Is it bad that I can't remember what a normal day looked like before the virus took over the world?
Since March 9, I have spent the majority of my time in Nashville, Tennessee, where I now reside with my parents until all of this blows over. The life I knew is no longer mine. I've faced feelings of remorse and panic as all the things I felt I worked so hard for slipped from my grasp.
But I guess I can't complain too much. There have been a lot of good things that overshadow the bad. I've become more adventurous, creative and have allowed myself to take up various hobbies. I journal almost every single day. I write my most personal thoughts as if I'm transcribing this historic moment right at home. I've learned over the past couple weeks that I am stronger than I ever thought.
Elizabeth Dotson, 21
Cleveland, Tennessee
I always used to joke about wanting to get paid to do nothing. Being forced to stay home due to a global pandemic wasn't exactly what I had in mind though.
Luckily for me, I still live at home with my parents. It's times like these where I truly understand how blessed I am to not have to pay rent or utility bills. Though, right now, it feels as if I'm a kid again and have just been grounded from going outside to play with my friends.
It's a weird sense of loneliness that almost feels like helplessness. No matter how healthy I feel, I am terrified of unknowingly spreading the virus to others and possibly causing someone to die. So I sit at home and wait for this nightmarish reality to pass.
Jake Percy, 23
Chattanooga, Tennessee
So just like that, I was unemployed [from a Chattanooga restaurant job]. I have enough money to pay my first round of bills next month, but after that, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I am entirely financially independent, and with no job, I eventually am going to run out of money.
This keeps me up at night and prevents me from relaxing during these long unemployed days.
I have filed for unemployment, but with (millions of) other people also filing for it, I have my doubts about getting approved in time, and the money really helping me make my ends meet, if this situation stretches any longer than another month.
I can't visit my grandparents like I wish I could. My grandmother is "high risk" because she has lung issues. I don't want to potentially expose her to this virus, so I have just been calling them every few days to check up on them.
If there was one word I could use to describe my emotions during this crisis, it would be "frustrated."
I hope this will all be over soon.
Alyssa Martin, 21
Flowery Branch, Georgia
Although I love my parents and cherish the last few weeks I have been able to spend with them, COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of my life in a matter of a few weeks.
After living in a different city, or state, than my parents for the better part of two years, I had to move back in with them on a whim. My college graduation, which I have been working towards for the last four years, has suddenly been postponed. Amid all of this uncertainty, I found light in a possible job opportunity; unfortunately, I did not get it due to my choice to self-quarantine, and they needed someone to start immediately.
Many people on the internet are saying this is our generation's "9/11 moment," our testing time, and if that is the case, I cannot help but think about how we will fail the test.
Although I am thankful for this time of stillness and am contentiously trying to find the light in this darkness, I can't help but feel as if part of my freedom has been stripped away the last few weeks.
Shianne Vincent, 22
Cleveland, Tennessee
Luckily, I commute to my school so I haven't had to worry about packing up and moving back home. However, I live with my parents and I enjoy being home around them all day. It gives us more family time instead of me being stuck at school for half the day, especially when my dad has been working from home.
I work at a store, and it's been closed for about three weeks now. I'm lucky though because my manager has called us up every other week to check on us and give us more news related to the store and the virus. He's confirmed that we will continue getting our normal pay, as of right now. I can't wait to go back to work, though, because I miss working with my coworkers and the environment of it. Frankly, I miss interacting with anyone outside of my house.
One of my dogs died just the other day so learning to adapt at home without him is hard, and kind of depressing because there's nowhere to go to take my mind off of it other than maybe a 15-minute walk in the neighborhood.
If everyone could do their part, I really do believe we can have a normal summer and get back on track with the way things used to be before this crisis.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com.