Max’s quarantine story depicts the raw emotions and human impact that the pandemic has inflicted upon many college students. The drastic turn of events from studying abroad in Washington D.C. to being forced out of his program and back into his childhood home led Max to rethink certain life decisions. Max, like many others, has dealt with the negative impacts of the pandemic. However, Max has taken that negativity and turned it into something positive by viewing everything with an open mind and not letting these unfortunate events get the best of him. For anyone viewing this site and listening to these impactful stories, a good exercise to try out would be to let your mind go free of all of the negative aspects of the pandemic, and start thinking in a different light; maybe take a few moments and think of anything positive that has happened to you since the pandemic began and anything you are grateful for as Max has done.

Orli Segall ’20 is a recent Muhlenberg College graduate, majoring in Media & Communication. During the pandemic, she has been actively searching for a job or internship in the media field, specifically in the realm of social media. However, she has found the job search to be quite challenging, as not many companies have been hiring lately. Nonetheless, Orli has remained optimistic that she will eventually get hired and has not let this minor setback get the best of her. Aside from the job search, Orli has spent an immense amount of time with her immediate family and has greatly enjoyed their warm company in such challenging times. While she has been unable to see friends and other relatives, she has found the time to chat with them using technology such as Zoom and FaceTime, which have become exceedingly popular platforms during the pandemic. Although Orli, like many other recent graduates, could not have an in-person graduation, she nonetheless, took it upon herself to join a virtual celebration with her friends and family. Turning these potentially negative situations into positive outcomes is a great way to go about dealing with this whole pandemic. It allows one to remain hopeful for the future and does not let the negativity override the positive moments of life.

During quarantine, Anders has developed a daily routine, including taking part in hobbies, doing some work, and being with family. Giving oneself time to relax while also doing some work, as Anders has been doing, helps alleviate the unnecessary stress that comes with societal pressures to constantly work. Likewise, developing a routine is a good process for getting through difficult times, as you are remaining proactive and have a planned schedule for the day.