Dear 2022, 

To put this as briefly as we can, last year was a whirlwind of emotions. From the return of in-person learning to the (unfortunate) introduction of a brand new COVID variant, 2021 was a time of highs, middles, and lows. In some ways, it was as hectic as 2020––we witnessed the introduction of the Omicron variant, and political strife inevitably followed a presidential inauguration. For many of us last year, the transition from online school back to in-person learning brought many unwanted uncertainties. Maybe another COVID surge would send us right back to sitting behind our computer screens, or perhaps the virus would finally disappear and we’d get to enjoy a normal high school year. 

Not only that, but fears of contracting COVID combined with navigating full, six-period school days again made it difficult for us––especially when it came to our mental health. The sudden jump back to in-person school meant having to relearn the skills that used to feel second-nature. Faces on a screen now became an entire classroom full of peers to interact with. Long naps after a three-period block schedule morphed into seven, if not more hours spent on campus attending classes, clubs, or sports practices. What used to be natural suddenly became unfamiliar; with each “normal” aspect of school we had to relearn piling on stress after stress.

But for all that went wrong in 2021, there were many things that went right. Vaccinations, booster shots, and accessible COVID testing have lowered hospitalization rates across the country. We adapted to in-person learning despite the difficulties that came with it, and have already survived through an entire semester.

As rocky as it was at times, we can safely say that the world improved in 2021. Our hopes are for that trajectory to continue this year. 

Even though we were optimistic for 2021 to be better, it wasn’t completely what we expected. 2022 may not be exactly what we hope for it to be either, but even so, we can still look forward with a positive, flexible mindset. 

In 2022, we hope that COVID-19, after two long years, will finally be over––that the limbo we’re existing in between quarantine and normalcy will end. In 2022, we hope that students who’ve only experienced a pandemic-shaped version of high school will get to attend their first in-person pep rally; we hope that current seniors won’t have to spend their freshman year of college online. We hope that friendships, extracurriculars, and family vacations won’t be interrupted by another lingering quarantine. 

Maybe all of our wishes won’t come to fruition––but no matter what comes our way in 2022, we can face the future knowing that the struggles we’ve overcome these past few years have reminded us to be confident in ourselves and our perseverance for a brighter tomorrow. 

Goodbye 2021,

Chloe Wong and Ashley Zhao

Photo courtesy of PIXABAY.COM