The Pandemic of Living Life from a Shell by Elizabeth

The Pandemic of Living Life from a Shell by Elizabeth - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

Throughout the initial pandemic lockdown, I, like so many others, was isolated from my friends and much of my family. For the majority of my days for months on end, I closed myself off in my bedroom, remaining idle or doing mindless tasks that did not cultivate my learning. School during this time, a period in which the words “virtual learning” were unfamiliar, became a task that weighed heavy upon my shoulders. It was difficult to wake up, but it was startlingly easy to give in and sink deep into something akin to a depressive state. As my school made our return to in-person learning in 2021, I essentially had to relearn how to be a student again. During this transition, I had to develop communication skills that I had previously lost and build myself back into an academically driven individual.
While in online learning I refused to reach out to my teachers, be it out of sluggishness or fear, I soon realized that my secluded studies were doing nothing but damaging my own grades and mental health. My grades were not terrible, but they were noticeably lower than pre-pandemic. It was a struggle for me to even raise my hand to speak, but as the words on the homework began morphing into nonsensical blurs, I slowly but surely acknowledged the elephant in the room: I could not continue going down that path. It was my junior year, one of the most crucial academic times of secondary education. Coming to a decision, I ignored the anxiety pooling in my gut and made the journey to my teacher’s desk after the bell had rung. Despite my trembling hands and cracking voice, I managed to ask for help with one of the questions. It was a monumental moment. As my teacher explained where I had gone wrong and how to catch myself from making the same mistake in the future, I could not help but feel silly afterward for neglecting to seek help earlier, but also empowered that I had managed to overcome my spell of academic solitude.
Since that vital act of courage, I have made it a point to always ask for help when I need it, and it has always been given to me. Communicating when one is confused about what they are learning is not an option; it is a necessity. Embracing this fact was a lesson that truly jumpstarted my education after such a difficult point in my high school career. It has made me a motivated leader and student who can attest firsthand that teachers are there to help students, but receiving that help is first and foremost a two-way street.