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2020 was nothing like I expected it to be.
>> I would say it was probably the most challenging year of my life.
>> So much happened in 2020 that I feel like even thinking back to like June is
hard, cuz I'm like what even happened in June?
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>> I just remember coming in the spring semester thinking it was just gonna be
another spring semester.
>> I listened to these news podcasts every day and
I remember when it was just the last story, at the end it was like, and
also there's this virus in China, anyway, that's the news.
And then it was like the second story and then it was the first story and
then it was it's here and now this is a problem that we have to deal with and
it's not just this obscure thing in China.
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>> The chaos that was online learning for the first time,
that was definitely something that we all had to quickly adjust to and
had such a whirlwind of emotions.
>> It was a weird feeling because for some classes, you're like, okay, I'm okay.
I can cruise and just kind of like not take it too seriously to finish out
the spring semester.
And then there are other courses where I'm like, I can't believe I still have to
write this 30 page paper and I can't even go to a library to do research for it.
I've definitely had days or assignments where I'll reach out and I'll be like,
hey, I know this is due today.
But to be completely honest, I'm having a bad mental health week and
I just have not started on it, is it okay if I get a couple days extension?
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>> The murder of George Floyd kind of being the catalyst for
a lot of activism this summer.
I think that was a huge part of I think everyone's summer and my summer.
>> I did get to attend two protests, two Black Lives Matter protests.
It was really powerful to just see what local organizers could make happen.
>> A lot of the work, a lot of activists and
organizers were on the ground doing work.
Doing mutual aid funds, doing bail funds, doing important things.
I think it also kind of created a space where a lot of vapid,
self centered activism happened.
>> People will try and make a difference for a little bit,
do some performative action and then just go to sleep, turn off the cameras.
And then they're done with it but
at least now at BU I see institutional changes trying to be done.
But also to see in my own community,
the Asian community particularly to have these conversations.
Bigger pushes in a society that traditionally has stayed silent on these
kinda topics to finally see some kinda movement.
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>> I think that when you're bringing students back to campus in a pandemic it
kind of calls for a little bit of skepticism.
And I think that all of that was warranted and BU responded to that with this huge
testing program and all of this contact tracing and
I've been pleasantly surprised by how well we've been doing in terms of COVID.
>> I think a lot of people are tired of being on Zoom, I'm so sick of this app.
But it's really great to see the different ways that people have been creatively
incorporating it to make fun game nights or movie nights or music nights.
>> I think it's also important to kind of acknowledge the faculty's experience cuz
they are also putting the time in to be there in person.
Obviously there's been changes and there's been difficulties and stuff like that.
But I really appreciate the effort that was made to have
providing the space to be here.
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>> That and just election week and leading up to that really anxiety inducing times.
And while I knew like Biden was far from any sort of magic fix,
and there's so much work to be done.
With Biden as president as well it was definitely a weight off my shoulders.
>> I think people are excited to move away from the Trump administration.
Hopefully peacefully and as it should be done but I do think people
are also very much ready to try and get some real progress going in this country.
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>> I think the end is in sight and I'm really excited about the vaccines, but
I'm more nervous that now people see the end.
They're gonna kind of let up and they're gonna start relaxing and
I just hope that we can get through this last stretch.
>> Of course I want them to work but I think just at this point,
I'm really just trying to be careful with any form of hope that I have.
Because I guess I just want to be emotionally prepared
in case it doesn't quite work out the way we're all hoping for it to.
>> Looking forward I think 2020, we're about to wrap it up and
I think there is light at the end of the tunnel.
>> I think I have grown the most I have in my life,
I think I've really taken that step into real adulthood.
>> My year was marked by a lot of learning and a lot of growth,
and struggle too, struggle for positive change.
>> It has really taught me to appreciate a lot of the small everyday things
that we might have taken for granted before.
Even just walking down like Comm Ave and
smiling at someone you know, stuff like that.
I missed that so much now.
And so it's little things like that that I feel like I won't take for
granted next year.
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