The class of 2025 is made up of 919 students. Compared to years before us, this makes the grade a particularly large one.  But, what truly sets my grade apart from others is that it is made up of people from all walks of life. During orientation week at Wes, I conversed with multiple 17- year-olds, joking about the fact that they are not allowed to administer their own COVID tests.  On the same day, I met freshmen who would soon be celebrating their 19th and 20th birthdays.

There are people in my grade who graduated high school in the spring of 2021, people who took a gap year last year, and people who spent this past summer grappling with the question of whether our world is safe enough to begin college in the fall. Notably, such diversity within the freshman class highlights the disruption COVID-19 has had on the lives of young people for the past two years.

Personally, I had been itching to experience college since my sophomore year of high school.  The freedom, the opportunity to learn more about the world, as well as the excitement that comes with indulging in a new experience with new people sounded like a dream. Yet when the pandemic hit, my desire to go to college became more complicated. I studied remotely for an entire year, from March of my junior year of high school to March of my senior year. It goes without saying that this was not ideal. But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining.

Living through the pandemic almost felt like hitting the pause button on what had been my ridiculously busy life. I was able to devote entire Sunday mornings to drinking coffee and completing the New York Times crossword with my dad. My afternoons consisted of walks and hikes with my mom whilst my sister and I were ten seasons into Grey’s Anatomy by August 2020. That should speak for itself.

Overall, my regression to the simplicity of childhood life felt somewhat magical. However, as each month of 2021 came and went, college began to feel more and more real. I worried if the pandemic had made me less prepared to face starting school in the fall. Going from complete and utter isolation to living with hundreds of strangers my age felt daunting. I began to question whether the shock of college life would cause me to sink or swim.

Now that I’m over a month into my freshman year at Wesleyan, I can say with certainty that the fears consuming my past self have been shaken. Being at Wesleyan has made me remember what often lies at the basis of strong and meaningful friendships: shared experiences.

[-No matter what each of our past two years looked like, we all lived through the pandemic together.

On-campus, I find it interesting to observe the different ways each member of my grade has been coping with the shock of returning to a “normal” year. Those that have been deprived of social stimulation for so long simply cannot get enough of it. Others are struggling to balance taking advantage of all of the many social avenues available whilst simultaneously striving to prioritize their mental health.

I absolutely love meeting new people and find human interaction one of the best parts of my day. That being said, I also know that my social battery is not everlasting. I appreciate that Wesleyan presents me with ample opportunities to spend time with others, but I also make time in my day to be alone. Spending even one hour a day biking around exploring the streets of Middletown, folding my laundry alone in my dorm, or taking a picnic blanket and a book down to Foss Hill to read have been great ways for me to strike a balance between my desire to be around people and the serendipity of isolation that I enjoyed during the pandemic.

I did not go to in-person school until the spring of my senior year. Others in my class weren’t able to begin college in 2020 and instead took a gap year in the midst of a global pandemic. It’s true that the grade is bigger than normal. It’s true that there are both 17-year-olds and 20- year-olds in my class.  But it’s also true that we all have lived through COVID-19 and have come out the other side together.

I am not saying all of this in the hope of being pitied. Trust me, my grade has received enough pity to last a lifetime. Rather  I say it to applaud the strength and the grit of the class of 2025.  We are all young adults. We have all dealt with the hardships of living through a pandemic at a critical time of transition in our lives.

I believe that this shared experience has brought our grade together in an incredibly special way.  It has made us stronger. And it is who we are: the unique, prideful, and incredible class of 2025.

Hannah Podl is a member of the Class of 2025 can be reached at hpodl@wesleyan.edu