By Braedan Shea
After nearly a full month away from campus for winter break, Springfield College students have trickled back to Alden Street. Many find themselves preparing for this semesterโs workload, catching up with friends or even putting new additions onto their dorms.
The community has come back to life.
โIโm excited to be back,โ said sophomore Madison Daly. โI missed my friends a lot, so itโs been nice to reunite with everyone.โ
Her sentiments are shared by many, including first-year student Lindsey Laughlan. โI am excited for the spring semester; I missed everyone on campus over break, so Iโm happy to be back and see everyone again.โ
For others, just getting back into the swing of things is all they need. โItโs good to be back and get right back into the same routine Iโve built over the past few years,โ said junior Aymen Tayoubi-Idrissi.
And for one student in particular, this semester holds a lot more meaning than others.
โIโm excited to spend my last semester here with everyone, because I am probably not going to be coming back to the United States after this, because Iโm an international student,โ said Kenny Bui, a senior in his final semester at the College. After graduating in May, he will return to his home country of Vietnam.
It is especially important for Bui not only because this may be his last time in the United States, but also because he wants to make some lasting memories to make up for his shortened time on campus.
โI wasnโt here at school last year and I wasnโt here for the semester before that, so thatโs already three semesters not being here on campus,โ said Bui.
The ever-looming pandemic is in the back of Buiโs mind as he works to make his last semester as memorable as possible, but he thinks that the school is doing a good job.
โI think our school is doing pretty good at making sure that everyone is testing negative, and getting their results back before they can go to classes or into their dorm roomsโฆ I feel pretty safe to be on campus right now.โ
Lindsey Laughlan is one of the 72 students that tested positive for the virus in the last week, and said that she is nervous about the COVID situation as of late. Laughlin doesnโt want to fall behind in classes — or even worse, to be moved back to online classes, just like last year.
Most students, though, are expectant and optimistic for brighter days ahead, including better weather and in-person classes.
โThe current COVID situation is obviously not ideal, but Iโm glad we got to move in and our classes are still in person,โ said Daly. โI think once the weather gets warmer and we can be outside our campus more, we will have more of a sense of normalcy.โ
As the semester progresses, and the community continues to learn to grow amidst the pandemicโs adversity, the revitalization of Alden St. is well underway.
Photo Courtesy Springfield College