Before the severity of our current situation arose tenfold, I was celebrating spring break with some of my classmates in Port Aransas, Texas. Upon hearing the news of an “extended Spring Break” we rejoiced, expecting another week of hangouts and sleeping in. We even considered making a return to Port Aransas the next weekend! No one in the country, including my classmates and I, could have anticipated what this extra week of Spring Break would entail. This extra week would become a once in a generation event, jeopardizing the remainder of our senior year, and totally restructuring the manner in which our society operates. 

Up until that point, I was a part of the vast majority of people that could not foresee how much effect this virus was going to have on our world, and more particularly our nation. The moment that struck me that this was a bigger deal than I thought was the day the first NBA player had officially been diagnosed with the virus. I was spending time with my parents when I first heard the news, and shortly after all of us would read TV headlines stating how the NBA season had been indefinitely suspended. That sent a big shock through my body, because now I knew how serious this situation really was. I’ve gotten school canceled before because of some light snow, but suspending the National Basketball Association?? I don’t think that had ever been done, ever. Shortly after I would join my parents in a spontaneous trip to HEB. 

The next day, thinking about my frantic trip to HEB, I decided to check on a good friend of mine, Ahsad Tokmehdash, senior at Central Catholic who spends many hours working at HEB. I spoke with him about how much his work life has changed since this virus began impacting our society. He gave an honest response saying, “You know work has for sure gotten  tougher, the emotions of just clocking in is a lot different than how it was a few months ago, but I feel good to know that I’m helping people out in getting their essential goods, and I’m happy to work for a company that makes sure it’s workers are always safe.” Later in the week while watching TV I watched news stories discussing the possible cancellation or postponement of the Summer Olympics. Watching this made me contact another good friend of mine, Central Senior Matthew Perez. Matthew had played an essential role in our track program since his transfer to Central his sophomore year. When discussing the cancellation of the spring sport, Matthew told me “It was rough realizing that I’d never be able to compete and give everything that I had alongside my brothers, but I’m proud of what I have already been able to accomplish and those moments with my track brothers are some I will never forget.” 

I, along with the rest of our nation, have seen a drastic change to daily schedules and everyday routines. A common staple in the daily routine of many Central students is a local Mexican restaurant located across the street from our school. El Nogal is a restaurant that catered to multitudes of Central students, including myself, before our school year had been put on hold. Knowing the struggle of many small businesses during this national lockdown, I decided to call in the restaurant and see if I could still make my classic order of two bean and cheese tacos, even if they weren’t going to be used to power me through my school day. In discussing with head cashier Myra Velasquez, she wanted to spread the message to, “Remember your small businesses during these crazy times, we need all the service we can get, even if it’s currently take-out only.” Another Central senior whose life has been impacted by this pandemic is varsity basketball player Gio Favarato. His family owns another restaurant located on the north side of San Antonio, Tacos n’ Salsa. Speaking to Gio about how their business had been affected he told me, “We are doing better than we anticipated. It still gets a little slow some days but we respect and thank every customer that calls in.” 

These are just some of the stories of how my classmates have been affected by this worldwide pandemic. Seriously, this is something my classmates and I will get to share with our kids when they study about it in their future history or science classes. Most seniors pull off a senior skip day, while my classmates and I pulled off a senior skip month. All jokes aside, this current situation will probably end up having the worst consequences of every member of the class of 2020 nationwide. Looking forward to your senior prom, senior recognition events, and even crossing the stage at graduation is something every aspiring scholar aims for. With the current virus spreading across our nation, all of these events have unfortunately been jeopardized. The unfortunate thing is, besides continuing social distancing, there isn’t much my classmates and I can do. Hopefully, through the help of our government officials and health organizations we will get to catch the remainder of our senior year, arguably the best moments of the high school experience. In the chance that we aren’t able to experience these events that solidify our high school careers, I urge my classmates not to dread over these missed opportunities, rather to reflect and acknowledge all the special moments that have occurred over the past 3 and a half years that have kept Central shining.