It’s been about 365 days since the State of Maryland sent students home from school for what we had thought to be only two weeks. Despite all the havoc students have felt, many utilized this time to explore themselves and become more self-sufficient.
In the past year, students at WJ have had the time to develop their own personal style, discover new interests and hobbies and improve their mindsets.
“This pandemic has made me become more independent and made me appreciate the little things in life a lot more and not take anything for granted,” junior Karen Howell said.
While students have been stuck at home scrolling aimlessly through their phones, social media apps, such as TikTok and Pinterest, have influenced the style of students by setting fashion trends. Whether it was tennis skirts, sweater vests or Vivienne Westwood pearl chokers, there is no doubt that social media platforms have revamped the style of students.
Junior Ava Familiant was able to rekindle her love for Harry Potter through TikTok, which has greatly influenced her overall aesthetic.
“Quarantine has changed a lot of people because it’s more time to explore themselves and what they like, especially having things like TikTok and Pinterest. It really inspired me to change up my style a bit. In the fall, Harry Potter TikTok became a thing where it would be the only thing on my For You Page and I’ve always loved the Harry Potter series so I fell in love with it all over again. The Harry Potter aesthetic is very dark and light academia so that influenced my style a lot,” Familiant said.
With all of the anxiety and stress this pandemic has created, many have used their newfound time to enjoy hobbies such as reading, working out and poetry.
Senior Rakeb Hailemariam gained more time to focus on her writing due to the pandemic.
“I started writing poetry right about when covid started. I figured I should write my feelings because I was going through some things prior to the start of quarantine. My poetry was first about my feelings so I would center the meaning of the poem about my feelings, and it slowly started to turn into love poems almost similar to romance books but in a poem style,” Hailemariam said.
It is ordinary for teenagers to agonize over the judgement and opinion of their peers, but this long period of self-isolation has allowed students to become more nonchalant and confident with themselves.
Senior Kaitlyn Brady remarked on how she has become more carefree in the past year.
“I definitely became more comfortable being myself this year. I remember in school I was always scared to stand out or that thought that maybe people were looking at me, maybe just because I was wearing something ‘different’. A Lot of people told me not to dye my hair or cut it but in the end, it’s only my opinion that truly matters and I shouldn’t let others stop me,” Brady said.
Although the pandemic has generated numerous challenges for many, students reconciled by making positive adjustments to their lifestyles and mindsets.
