Lenexa, Kan.
Major: Music
Activities: Bel Canto Singers, Student Ambassador

COVID, Class and Caring

The second weekend of the semester I got COVID. I got it pretty bad; I was in isolation for 14 days, and then I ended up getting pericarditis as a result, which is a heart inflammation. It was really hard for me to keep attending classes and staying up on it while I had that heart condition because it was very random and infrequent. I had to miss quite a bit of Kevin Wilder’s classes and was falling behind with homework and I was just getting really stressed out. We were talking every day and he was giving me the tips that I needed, pushing my deadlines, making sure that I was comfortable, and asking me what I prefer instead of just saying, “You need to do this to stay caught up.” He was really tending to my needs and letting me put my health first without falling behind in his class.

Where I Belong

During isolation I was feeling very lonely. It was the second week and I [was diagnosed with COVID] two days after classes started and I was feeling really sad and lonely, and just the thought of being able to go back to such a wonderful place was making me feel better. I knew that God was just pushing me through it and letting me know that this was all worth it. Pushing through the quarantine and then coming back better than I was before because I had built up strength and I had been trying to stay on top of everything, and then coming back being with my friends again, being with Bel Canto, being back in classes…it was just an overwhelming sense of, “This is where I belong. This is where I’m happy.” I would definitely say that was God reminding me that this is
my home.