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This time with the coronavirus is something like I have never experienced before. This pandemic is affecting everyone in the world and it seems as though it has become our new norm. Everything is different. School has been so stressful in addition to having so much to think about and deal with at home. Prior to the start of the lock down in March, I was battling an illness that left me in severe pain for weeks. I still had to push through with going to school and getting my work done. I still had to do my work in between hospital visits, hours of agony, and complete emotional disposition. My gloomy mood and constant pain makes me unmotivated to do school work and I feel as though I am just floating by day by day. To add fuel to the flames, so many close family members and friends are being affected by COVID-19 and it truly has become draining. My cousin has been in a coma, and no one can go see him due to hospital visitation rules. This time has been depressing. I am so distracted with what is going on personally, that it is truly hard to focus academically. I am persevering everyday to get through everything. But it has been hard.

Naffisat Atanda (Class of 2020)

Due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, schools in New York City have been shut down since March 16. It has become evident that students have been struggling to adjust to online classes. Teachers are trying their best to be more lenient because they are aware of the troubles Covid-19 has brought upon families. I can confirm that for many of my peers these are hard times. The sudden change in schedule due to Covid-19 has had a negative impact on everyone. Students are finding it hard to wake up early, finish their assignments on time, and deal with personal problems. As a result, school assignments and tests have become hard to handle. The growing pile of assignments due at 11:59 pm causes anxiety and adds stress to an already bad situation.

In order to deal with the stress, my peers and I worked together to create a schedule that is similar to school. It is important to keep a good routine to stay healthy and productive. We wake up by 8-10 am, eat breakfast, and write everything that needs to be done during the day in a planner. The assignments are spread out throughout the day and in between other responsibilities. When a student cannot finish an assignment, we encourage them to submit it as soon as possible and not to worry too much. If a situation is very hard to handle, we encourage them to email their teachers and try to get as much help as possible. These times are hard and in order to get through this, we need to try our best to help one another. If you need help, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Anum Jabeen (Class of 2020)

I work with Dr. Frank Grasso in the Biomimetic and Cognitive Robotics (BCR) Lab at Brooklyn College. In this lab, we study the behavior of invertebrate animals such as fiddler crabs, axolotls, octopuses along with other animals such as monk parakeets. Lab members also participate in various robotic experiments related to animal behavior. I specifically work with fiddler crabs and their social behavior. Before COVID-19, all members of the lab were required to attend general meetings. These meetings were held to ensure that everyone was aware of the changes made in the lab and the tasks that needed to be done next week were assigned. I would attend the lab regularly and spend approximately 10–15 hours each week. It was a friendly and informative environment.

In addition, group meetings related to our projects were also held to give researchers feedback on their projects. Although schools and colleges have been shut down due to COVID-19, the BCR lab is still active since we were able to transition from our physical lab onto a virtual platform. All the animal systems that were present in the lab were shut down due to the pandemic. The axolotls that we studied in the lab are now safe with Dr. Grasso who now takes care of them at his house. With the abundance of data that was observed and recorded in our lab, we have no shortage of work to get done. The use of resources such as DropBox, email, and Zoom meetings for communication is a must. Due to everyone's dedication to the lab, this transition has gone smoothly.

Mariyum Jahan (Class of 2020)

The quarantine has caused many to become stressed and anxious. Lowering your stress levels means maintaining good health practices, therefore it is important to take care of your physicsl and mental health. Stress is even more prevalent today and to prevent it from becoming a health issue, it is important to distract yourself. Whether it is participating in baking or TikTok challenges or napping for about an hour a day, facetiming friends, or cooking with your family. You can clean or decorate your room too. Change things up in the house.

It is important to get rid of the stressors. Watch the news less often or at least play it in the background. Take up a new hobby and have a Netflix party with your friends and family. Also, make sure to at least exercise 20 minutes a day; you can incorporate exercise into your routine. Do squats or burpees while you are cleaning tall surfaces, do the side plank when you are cleaning under your bed, or do a yoga pose anytime you are warming something up in the microwave. Exercise doesn't have to be boring.

Tanzena Haque (Class of 2020)