“I didn’t expect this quarantine to have a big effect because I expected it to happen. But after finding out we wouldn’t be returning to school and possibly not walk the stage, my stress and depression began to peak. I realized I won’t have the normal high school experience, which is something I’ve been looking forward to. My mental state has been an emotional rollercoaster. Nothing of my day has changed compared to the weekends before this pandemic. I’d wake up, eat breakfast, clean, do some homework or get ahead, then binge-watch Netflix.

“This pandemic has only showed me how stupid some people are and continue to be. I still see people hanging out in large crowds and in very public places. Our government continues to show how irresponsible and corrupted they are. They have families struggling to pay rent and stay fed while keeping safe and it’s like the government doesn’t care. Out of all the money they have to be spending, trillions, that really doesn’t allow them to give a more reasonable amount of money to families? It only shows me all the crap my generation and generations after me will have to fix when we become adults.”