The fall semester has been seemingly swept under the rug in order to welcome a new, equally uncertain semester. Spring typically carries messages of new beginnings and warmth, but it is easy to get stuck in the chilly atmosphere of downtown Pittsburgh. Students and staff alike are bundling up to attend various classes online and in person. The risks of being exposed to COVID-19 may be lurking in the back of everyone’s minds.

It is still key to wear a mask (or two) and social distance if the space you are in allows it. Getting fully vaccinated is also a great way to ensure that the Point Park University community is a safer place. Returning to campus is a time to see friends for the first time in weeks and to meet new people. As a freshman, this semester carries a sense of charm and joy I hope the upperclassmen have seen before.

There is still certainty we will all be able to connect even if there is hesitancy of how that will happen around new people or crowds.
The initial screams in the hallways of friends seeing each other again scared me at first, but put a smile on my face that people are still able to rejoice when everything is changing. A new era has begun, and we are all still here. I urge everyone to cry, scream and laugh whenever you can this semester. It may be a bright spot in your day to remember.

Online students and staff are more interactive than I have ever seen in the past. Unmuting your mic is incredibly daunting, but, after it’s done, the nerves dissipate and the class can act as a refuge to share your thoughts or ask questions related to academia. A new space to grow gives people, especially Point Park students, the chance to energize before practice or a work shift.

I don’t particularly like talking about anything negative (other than my own self-deprecation, but that is neither here nor there) or the effects of the Coronavirus. At this point, I have plenty of faith that people on campus are more determined than ever to have a normal Spring Semester. I bring to light the anxiety surrounding it because of the increasing amount of conversations I’ve had with students here and at other universities about their different yet similar responses to returning in person.

We are one week into the semester and students are already under the pressure to be giving 100% to their educational environment all day, every day. I do not want myself or anyone else to become a pot waiting to boil over from the stress. It becomes much easier for mental health to start falling apart when there is no room for self-reflection. Sharing your thoughts with fellow classmates can help with extra worries too. The spring semester is a time for anything that didn’t happen last semester to be done now. Creating the life you want to live becomes one step closer now.