Dear Diary,

I have officially committed to ArtCenter College of Design. I am really happy to be attending, but not too excited for the fall term. In light of COVID-19, the school might change their courses to online classes. This isn’t good for me because I learn more efficiently when I do hands-on task. I’m basically supposed to make art, but I’m worried that I won’t be able to learn to my full potential from behind a screen. Furthermore, graduation is coming up, but it’s now virutal? It’s unfortunate that we are celebrating our final year of high school from, again, behind a screen. But no one is to blame. The district is trying their best to congratulate their seniors, but this is not the way to do it. Point is, nothing is happening the way I expected it to. Physical classes and a physical graduation are no longer to be taken for granted.

I am also extremely frustrated with the protests against Coronavirus restrictions. Protestors are holding up outrageous signs saying, “I need a haircut,” “Give me liberty or give me COVID”, and “Social Distancing is Communism.” These questionable people are not taking the impact of the virus seriously. Standing in lines closer than what CDC recommends, not wearing face masks, and shouting in the streets? They are the reason why the victim number continues to rise (52,234 deaths in the U.S as of today) and why the peak never seems to fall. I am sincerely concerned that it will take longer than necessary to get things back to normal. Although Costco lines are still a mile long, and I am only getting my daily dose of fresh air from my window, I know that “this too shall pass,” and that gives me a lot of hope for the future.

Yours truly,

Ji Min