When I imagined my first semester of college, I did not imagine this. No one did, truly. With the number of things Covid-19 stole from us — job opportunities, travel memories and the most challenging of all, the lives of loved ones — it feels almost impossible to find any solace. But one evening, as I scrolled through old photos that I had hoped to decorate my dorm with, I found a picture of my mom and dog from the beginning of quarantine.

It was the middle of March, and my trajectory for the rest of the year was completely upended. Yet I still took the picture of her, teaching her seventh grade students in her new makeshift classroom — her bed. I felt this warmth. Although the entire world had been turned upside down, some beautiful pieces emerged from the mess. It made me think: what other parts of the past eight months have also been secretly beautiful? What silver linings and glimmers of light did the pandemic bring?

Immediately, I thought about the unexpected time spent with my family. Gelila Kebede, Class of 2024, echoed similar sentiments as she also spent unanticipated time with her parents. “As excited as I am to be on campus, I'm glad I got to spend one last Thanksgiving at home,” she said.

Many first year students noted that since they expected to move to Abu Dhabi this fall, the unplanned time at home allowed them to connect with their families, old neighborhoods and home cities in deeper ways than their busy high school years permitted.. Sanam Parwani, Class of 2024, described new family rituals of playing board games together and going on walks around the neighborhood.

"I had to postpone a long awaited trip and got thrown into a long distance relationship prematurely, but I fell back in love with my city and people,” added Ho Jun Bin, Class of 2024 from Singapore. “It felt like a test that we did well —but not perfectly — on, and it's been wonderful rediscovering this place in the company of friends before leaving for college.”

One upside of the abundance of online programming is the expanding opportunities. Jianna Jackson, Class of 2024, did an internship with a law firm outside of her home country. “I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but this experience really solidified my resolve,” she explained. Shahad Hamwi, Class of 2023, had a similar experience; based in Los Angeles, her internship would have been nearly impossible had it required physical presence.

Jun Bin recognized how networking has also moved online, beyond the limits of borders. Whereas senior executives used to require long, in person conferences to meet people, the virtual transition gives space for new entrepreneurs and young professionals. “This normalization is almost democratizing,” he added. While he notes there are certainly still barriers, the ability for employers to carve out a 30 minute Zoom call instead of an entire afternoon in a coffee shop is a great feat. These new opportunities, combined with a decreasing stigma of working from home could pave the way for an entirely new professional atmosphere.

Besides internships and new ways of employment, many students also noted that the pandemic gave them time and space to explore other interests. Cameron Wehr, Class of 2022, learned Portuguese during his free time. Amidst a backdrop of banana breads and fluffy instant coffee, others used the free time at home as a time to learn to cook. Alyazia Alblooshi, Class of 2023, had time to immerse herself in different art mediums she had previously kept untouched in her room. “It just makes me so happy to be able to do these things without feeling like I’m wasting my time or that I could spend it with someone or have to do anything all the time.”

Photo courtesy of Alyazia Alblooshi. / Some of the artwork Alblooshi made throughout the pandemic.

Another significant change in the pandemic, and a silver lining for many, is the opportunity for new forms of political engagement. While the pandemic may have made certain forms more dangerous, like in person protests and assembly, activism has not stopped. The pandemic revealed inadequacies and systemic discrimnation in governments, exemplified in the United States by the disproportionately high death rates among Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communities. These injustices, combined with a sense of vulnerability and greater consumption of news, created a recipe for political mobilization. The United States experienced one of its largest civil rights movements in history with the Black Lives Matter movement that gained greater attention after the murder of George Floyd. The abundance of time and internet resources allowed many to educate themselves on issues of racism in the U.S. and globally in their own communities. “I’ve tried to research how this manifests itself in my society in regard to colorism,” Jackson added. “I definitely think that the pandemic contributed a lot to the reeducation and rediscovery of the social and political forces that oppress BIPOC.”

Many students also noted that this time was an opportunity to slow down and take care of their health and wellbeing. The sudden disruption to our on-the-go, hyper productive lifestyle was what a lot of students needed.

“I am someone who loves to keep myself busy, and while that is good sometimes, the past eight months have shown me the importance of slowing down and taking care of myself,” Parwani added. Since March, she has begun running and completed a half marathon on her own. “It helped me carve out time for myself,” she added.

Photo courtesy of Sanam Parwani. / One of Parwani’s runs in Columbus, Ohio.

Kevin Bansal, Class of 2024, had a similar experience. “The silver lining of the pandemic for me was the abundance of time that I got to take care of myself,” he explained. He also noted that he found new ways to keep in shape, such as through utilizing Youtube videos. The sudden shift in routines, with time to slow down and think, left many students, like Hamwi, more grateful for the small things they used to take for granted. “Everyday things we used to do before the pandemic have become such a privilege,” she said.

While the hardships the pandemic brought should in no way be minimized, the positives of the past few months should not be underlooked. Even when this is far from how many of us expected 2020 to go, seeing the silver linings can help keep our morale as we move forward.