Students return from university

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During this trying time, it is nice to have students back from universities for holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.

The school year of 2020-2021 has been one of perseverance through unexpected circumstances, especially for university students. University students have struggled with remote learning, social distancing precautions, COVID-19 outbreaks at school, quarantine, testing for COVID-19, and irregular breaks from school.

University student Selma Sanchez, age 18, attends Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Sanchez has endured COVID-19 tests, quarantine, friends with confirmed COVID cases, social distancing precautions, outbreaks at school, and irregular breaks. She has undergone all of these trials as she pursues her degree to become a Doctor of Pharmacy.

Sanchez speaks of her experience with quarantine after one of her new friends showed symptoms of COVID-19 at the University of Creighton.

“I did not expect that to happen so quickly because it was like my second week of school,” says Sanchez. “I had to go into quarantine and it sucked because it’s the time you want to make friends and meet new people and I couldn’t do that.”

Sanchez looks back on this event and is happy she was still able to adjust well to the University of Creighton. Like many students, she wishes she could have had the normal high school and college experience these past two school years.

After months of school in Omaha away from her family in Oregon, it was time for her to return home. Like many other universities, the University of Creighton has opted for a longer break that includes the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. The time lasts approximately two months and this is in replacement of Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break.

This decision was made with the aim of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 to friends and families from students during multiple breaks from school. The university also made the decision that students would not be allowed to stay on campus for the break.

During her time at Creighton, Sanchez has undergone two COVID-19 tests and received negative results both times. Since the drive from Omaha to Hillsboro, Oregon is approximately 27 hours, and she does not possess a car, Sanchez’s only reasonable option was to fly. Sanchez and her family made the decision for her to come back home five days early to circumvent the typical large masses of people who would be traveling for Thanksgiving.

For Sanchez to accomplish this, she needed to take a flight after school on the same day she had a final exam. To travel safely by air, she wore a mask the entire time and maintained social distance as much as possible before arriving in Hillsboro.

Sanchez arrived at a late hour and once reuniting with family, she went to bed and woke up very early to study for the exam she would take remotely the next day. The following week she would also take another COVID-19 test to protect her family and friends.

Over the next two weeks, she stayed home and her family watched for symptoms. Sanchez tried her best not to share germs with any of her family. She did not show symptoms during her family’s quarantine.

Sanchez was able to join her grandparents, three aunts and uncles, and three small cousins for a traditional Thanksgiving meal while still being vigilant of not infecting her family if she did have COVID-19. Everyone invited to the dinner had never tested positive to COVID-19 and had been working remotely or at home since the start of the pandemic.

Sanchez’s friend Jenna Boivin, age 19, also returned home from the University of Creighton to Illinois for the holidays. Like Sanchez, Jenna Boivin experienced several trials to her education.

Traveling home by car, she and her father both wore masks and followed the guidelines for slowing the spread of COVID-19. Upon arriving home, Boivin quarantined and tried to minimize the spread of germs to her direct family.

During Thanksgiving, her family decided it was safe for some extended family to join them for dinner with everyone wearing masks except when they were eating. Boivin was placed at a separate table from the rest of her family who were dining. She wore a mask and gloves except when she was eating.

Omaha has been a hotspot for COVID-19, so her family felt these extra precautions were necessary. Boivin was a little disappointed by this, but understood nonetheless.

Olivia Delplanche, age 19, returned home to Hillsboro from Carroll College in Utah. At university, she was tested for COVID-19 four or more times. Delplanche made the decision to be tested before returning home to protect her family. She was tested and, once she received negative results, took precautions on her two plane rides.

Delplanche tried to maintain social distancing as much as possible, had hand sanitizer handy, and wore a mask the entire time. When she went to the restroom. she would wash her hands thoroughly as well. Delplanche even considered wearing a full face mask that some of her friends were using to fly home.

Once at the airports, she touched as little surfaces as she could and didn’t stop anywhere on her second flight because that airport was busier. Once finally returning home, Delplanche made the decision not to see anyone except her immediate family at least until fourteen days had passed.

This included a dear uncle of hers, which she normally sees regularly during the summer. As she is preparing to leave for Utah again to spend Christmas there like her family usually does, she hasn’t seen any of her friends or extended family.

Savannah Miller, age 18, attends the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. At her school, there are many precautions being taken and students are able to participate in protecting their community. There are rules about the number of students permitted in a room, the tables used at lunch, and mandatory masks at all times except in dorms or eating.

Miller describes her first family holiday away from home and the struggles during COVID-19 for her.

“Thanksgiving, I was in Las Vegas. It was the first holiday away from family and it honestly really sucked,” says Miller. “Especially because I thought I wasn’t going to have any food because the dining commons said they were going to be closed and all the restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving.”

Thankfully the dining commons did open, and she was able to celebrate her Thanksgiving a week early with some friends at a potluck.

The experiences of these four young women attending colleges away from home show their willingness to navigate adversity. All four university students are looking forward to returning to their new homes away from home.