Many of us would agree that our Senior year of High School was one of the most memorable years of our life. Between graduation, college acceptance letters, Prom, and the knowledge that it’s the last year spent in your hometown (and parents’ house no less), it’s a time that we both never want to end, and can’t get past soon enough. Unfortunately, for the class of 2020, most of these traditions were devastated by COVID-19. In this series, we chat with Seniors to find out the extent of the impact to their final year of High School and what they’ve done to salvage those memories.

Meet Jennifer Z.! Jennifer Z. was born in China but spent the majority of her childhood in Australia. She’s currently a Year 13 student at Dulwich College Beijing (DCB).

Can you briefly walk us through how COVID-19 has evolved for you, personally? What were your initial thoughts? At what point did you realize the devastation and disruption it was causing? How do you currently feel?

The first time I saw a report on COVID-19, I was about to fly out for Chinese New Year. During the next week of festivities, the whole thing completely slipped out of my mind. When I got back to Beijing, it was surreal to turn on the TV and see that it was now a nationwide pandemic. It seems like everything escalated all at once after that: school getting canceled, theaters and malls shutting down, all large public meetings being banned. Living in Beijing right now feels a little like inhabiting a ghost town.

Senior year of High School is supposed to be one of the most memorable years of your life. Unfortunately, however, you and your peers aren’t getting to enjoy all that it has to offer. Can you tell us a bit about that? What are the conversations that are happening amongst your friends right now?

Although everyone’s doing our best to stay positive, it’s definitely hard not to feel like we’re missing out sometimes. Leavers’ assembly, grad trip, the last day of high school, these are all supposed to be major milestones in our lives, and knowing that we’ll never get to experience them in the way other classes have experienced them is disheartening. Nevertheless, the school is still planning ways we can celebrate under our current circumstances. We’re incredibly lucky to still be safe and to have methods like WeChat/FaceTime to communicate with each other.

What activities were you most looking forward to this year that have either been postponed or canceled? 

Above anything, I was looking forward to my grad trip. My friends and I were planning to take a two-week trip to Korea and Japan, and before the outbreak we’d sketched out an itinerary and even started booking accommodation. Sadly, all that has been put on hold due to the outbreak.

Has COVID-19 affected your ability to graduate at all?

Luckily, the impact has been quite minimal. Although IB May exams have been canceled, the IBO has been very supportive with ensuring that students still receive a diploma through a thorough grading process. Colleges have also shown a commendable amount of understanding during this time, sending out constant updates and resources for mental health support to prospective students.

Has COVID-19 affected your plans for after graduation? If so, how? 

Like many of my peers, I’ve been planning to go to the States for college for as long as I can remember. With the recent spread of the virus across the US, however, it’s disheartening to turn on the news every day and see escalating incidences of xenophobia and discrimination against Asian-Americans abroad. Of course, there’s also the unresolved question of whether we can get a student visa in time for the start of the Fall semester. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things will be better by September!

Despite all that has happened this year, have you done anything to try and salvage these last few months of your High School experience?

Of course! Over the last few weeks, I’ve participated in and heard about some truly creative online hangouts, from virtual brunch to WeChat game nights to a group baking competition held over video call. It’s funny how before the pandemic, we were always told off for using social media too much, but now that everyone’s in quarantine, our digital addiction is what’s keeping us sane.

Photos: Courtesy of Jennifer Z.

Many of us would agree that our Senior year of High School was one of the most memorable years of our life. Between graduation, college acceptance letters, Prom, and the knowledge that it’s the last year spent in your hometown (and parents’ house no less), it’s a time that we both never want to end, and can’t get past soon enough. Unfortunately, for the class of 2020, most of these traditions were devastated by COVID-19. In this series, we chat with Seniors to find out the extent of the impact to their final year of High School and what they’ve done to salvage those memories.

Please introduce yourself.

My Name is Chloe C., and I am originally from Taipei, Taiwan. I am currently a senior at the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB).

Can you briefly walk us through how COVID-19 has evolved for you, personally? 

As someone who lives in Beijing, the Coronavirus outbreak definitely has affected me personally. Not just academically, but there are also inconveniences that come with it, such as needing to be quarantined at home. Initially, I didn’t expect the outbreak to last for so long, as the school hoped to resume mid-February. However, it is clearly a lot more severe than what we all expected, affecting students from all over the world, not just China. Currently, I feel fortunate that none of my friends or family members have been severely affected by the outbreak. Though, it is extremely disappointing to miss out on the last semester of high school.

Senior year of High School is supposed to be one of the most memorable years of your life. Unfortunately, however, you and your peers aren’t getting to enjoy all that it has to offer. Can you tell us a bit about that? What are the conversations that are happening amongst your friends right now?

Since the outbreak, my friends and I have been discussing how this semester should have been. We initially imagined that we would go on a senior trip after graduation, Prom, sports tournaments, etc. However, now all these are canceled, we have been trying to still rearrange events like senior trips. College decisions also come out during this period of time, which is unfortunate that we cannot share the excitement with one another in person. It is certainly harder to keep in touch with each other due to the different time zones we are in and the fact that we cannot meet each other in person. Yet, methods like WeChat calls, Zoom and other social media are helping us to interact with friends during this difficult time.

What activities were you most looking forward to this year that have either been postponed or canceled?

One of the events that I was most looking forward to was the senior trip. WAB has annual senior trips that take all seniors to different cities in China. It has always been an enjoyable tradition, which is why it is so disappointing that we won’t be able to participate. On top of that, our own senior trip with friends will also need to be postponed due to how inconvenient traveling is right now. Furthermore, the graduation was an event that I have been looking forward to. Traditionally, WAB takes seniors to the Beijing Confucius Temple for their graduations. We planned to celebrate with our friends and families at this beautiful Chinese cultural landmark, but it is uncertain now if this will still happen.

Other than the whole-grade events, the Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC) sports tournament and events that I wished to hold had to be canceled too. There’re many projects that I was working on before the outbreak that cannot be continued, such as my Zer0 environmental club.

Has COVID-19 affected your ability to graduate at all? Are you able to take all the necessary High School Exit Exams, College Placement Tests, etc.

The outbreak has definitely been affecting my academic schedules. The IB Final Exam was planned to be held during late April to late May. However, the IBO has decided to cancel the exams to ensure all students’ safety. Fortunately, it is clearly stated that all students will still get the credits and diploma they deserve and all students will graduate successfully if they meet the requirements. It is also great to know that many colleges that sent out conditional offers have decided to be more flexible or even cancel the requirement because of the changes. On the other hand, the juniors may have to struggle a bit due to online learning and the cancellation of standardized testing (SAT, ACT).

Has COVID-19 affected your plans for after graduation? 

I never planned to stay in Asia for university. Though, I did want to have another college tour after all my college decisions come out just to help me decide on which college I like more. This tour, however, will probably need to be postponed or canceled, depending on how the COVID-19 situation goes. I will most likely be attending one of the universities in the US or Canada in September, which I hope won’t be affected by any further incidents.

Despite all that has happened this year, have you done anything to try and salvage these last few months of your High School experience? 

One of my friends actually contacted me about organizing a mini-Prom for our friend group. She made the decision because she thought that Prom is something very unique and important to experience in our senior year and it would be a shame if it is just canceled. These last few months of high school have definitely been quite stressful because of all the college decisions coming out and needing to catch up with academic work through online learning. Yet, it is great to have access to Zoom and social media (Instagram, Facebook, Snap Chat, etc.) to connect with friends virtually. During these months, I got in touch with friends outside of WAB that I met in different sports tournaments, which was absolutely wonderful to catch up with each other’s lives. I was able to meet up with a few friends in Taiwan, but it is harder to hangout in Beijing due to the quarantines.

Anything else you’d like to share…

As an IB Art student, it is beyond disappointing that the final IB Art Exhibition has to be postponed or even canceled. Students have been working on their art pieces for two years and were all enthusiastic to share their hard work with others. I was really looking forward to this experience, but now I can only hope for the best that the exhibition won’t be canceled.

Photos: Courtesy of Chloe C.