By Zach Lazarus/El Inde
When it all began, I was in Las Vegas with a group of my friends for our final spring break of college. We were set to graduate in May.
Everything was going as it should, we were having a blast, and then: Boom. I don’t think anyone was ready for it.
Out of nowhere, on a random afternoon, I got a notification which made me stop what I was doing and showed me that the coronavirus was much worse than any of us thought. Every notification, every channel we flipped to, everyone was talking about the virus and how all sports were getting canceled — the Pac-12 Tournament got canceled, March Madness got canceled, all of it just done, gone.
As I packed my things in Las Vegas and began heading home, I thought I was only going to my house for a few days with my girlfriend until we went back to school towards the end of spring break. Little did we know, we were not going back to school to live; we were there to pack up all of our things and head home — for good.
The University of Arizona has been my home for the past four years. Since my family lives in Scottsdale, my mom and dad came down to Tucson to help move me out. My mom and dad had reserved hotel rooms for all of my family members to come from Chicago for graduation — but this was no longer a thing.
I spent my last day in Tucson taking everything in, trying to make the most of it with my girlfriend before we both parted ways for the time being. Even though this would only be temporary, it was very sad coming from a relationship where we spent every moment together. Now I know this would only help us grow even more, but it’s still taken me some time to adjust for the time being.
As seniors, we had three more months to do whatever we wanted, which were supposed to be the best of our entire college experience.
I drove home in about two hours and listened to my music, reminiscing about all the good times in college, all I learned and accomplished and how much I’ve grown. More than anything, I was thankful for the experience and blessed to have done all I did and be where I am. Regardless of what people may say, everyone could use some positive encouragement and support — especially at times like this.
The virus has consumed us, our minds, our bodies and the media. And there really isn’t anything we can do until a cure is found. But my instinct is to stay positive, stay inside, stay safe. Spend time with those around you as much as possible right now, because you never know what is going to happen or whether this will get worse or not. Stay strong in times like this, keep your head up and only go one day at a time because that is all we can do.