Last semester was rough for many of us; whether it was personal, COVID-19 or school in general. It’s college and it happens, though exacerbated by COVID-19. I’ve dealt with most of it last semester too. 

That’s why, for this semester, I want to offer some words of comfort. Not just for myself but for everyone. 

Everything is not going to go back to normal any time soon like we all want, we can thank COVID-19 for that, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our time right now. Even though WKU requires all members to wear masks inside buildings or any public space, we can still do things we’ve done in the past while wearing masks, staying cautious and staying healthy this time.

COVID-19 has taken over our lives since the beginning of 2020. I was a junior in high school and now I’m in my second semester of college as a freshman. That may seem like a short period of time but in reality it’s not. It felt and still feels like forever. COVID-19 reached the U.S. in January of 2020 and the U.S. went into lockdown in March. Since then, our world has turned upside down.

The guidelines and COVID-19 in general have been a pain to everybody, but I know one day in the future we’ll get past this. Not because we have to, even though that’s what we want, but because we want to. 

I have many hopes for this semester and the future. I hope that we all get a little more comfortable in this awkward situation and that it becomes easier. I hope we all can enjoy ourselves without the fear of contracting or spreading COVID-19 and its variants.

Besides COVID-19, there were many other reasons why last semester was a tough one. One of those being classes. It’s college, we all have to take courses and pass in order to graduate. 

Some of the courses might be a bit on the easier side. Great professors, clear and precise topics and the homework is understandable. More than likely, that’s not the case. A lot of courses are hard. Tough professors, hard and incomprehensible topics and the homework feels impossible to complete.

Even though that may be the case, just remember that you’re on your way through a four-year degree. It’ll all be worth it in the end. Remember that one class you thought was impossible at first, that you’ve worried and obsessed about since you registered for it? You’ll be looking back and be glad you pushed forward and gave it your all.

You chose your major for a reason. You have in mind what you want your career to be. You’ve either dreamed of it since childhood or thought of it while applying for college. When you feel that a course might be impossible or that you can’t do it, remember your dream career is right there within your grasp. Remember that your dream isn’t far away.

This is the spring semester, so seniors are getting ready to graduate. I could imagine the past four years have been tough but especially so because of COVID-19. 

The seniors are a few months away from graduating with their specific degree and they shouldn’t take it with a grain of salt. They made it through college and that alone is difficult, but with COVID-19 it probably felt impossible. The seniors survived it all and more than ever they deserve their degree.

It’s not just the seniors that have pushed through these tough times. All freshmen, sophomores and juniors have too. We all deserve happiness and everything good that comes to us.

And with that, I’ll leave you with one last thing. 

I feel that as college students we forget that it’s okay to mess up. That it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s not a bad thing to make mistakes. It’s how we learn and get better. I’ve made mistakes since last semester and I’ll make more this semester, but that’s okay.

Last semester was different for all of us. It was either good, decent or bad. Easy, medium or hard. Whatever it was, don’t let it define you. Last semester was the old you. It’s a new semester and a new you.

We’re Hilltoppers and we push through no matter what. Let’s make this semester a great one!

Commentary writer DJ Stover can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DeJayeJJ.