This was the least nervous I’d ever been for a first day of school. No harried backpack repacking when the longest trip I’ll be making is from my bed to my desk. No frantic outfit selection when all my...
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In March 2020, The 74 launched “Pandemic Notebook,” an intimate series designed to capture, in their own words, how students are living through this unprecedented period of disruption, fear and loss. Some grappled with young love in a time of virtual connection; one, locked inside her home, experienced the deep trauma of parental abuse. Entries were marked by lessons on privilege and equity, mask confusion and life-changing YouTube videos. Here are their stories.
Photo: www.the74million.org
The day I found out my grandfather died, I cried so hard I threw up. Two days later, I went back to school. I walked through the front doors holding back tears. It wasn’t that I felt uncomfortable crying...
For as long as I can remember, I was a bird trapped in a golden cage. On the outside, my world was a glittering array of debate trophies, academic titles, college scholarships and a picture-perfect family....
It goes without saying, but last year was strange and rough for everyone. I lost my grandmother, watched the world rally against police brutality and saw school descend into chaos. I fully expected everything...
Right now I have a splinter on my finger from building a duck fence, cuts on my hands and arms from duck and chicken claws and bruises on my hands from duck bites.
I was sitting in my room when admissions decisions for the QuestBridge National College Match Scholarship finally arrived. My high school’s college counselor texted me midway through AP English Lit on...
When I came back from lunch, I worked on my creative writing assignment, AirPods on high. As a substitute teacher and a student began arguing behind …
Before the pandemic, getting to school each morning felt like a neverending slog. I’d trudge my heavy backpack from the 1 Train at the City College …
There is a breed of champion racehorses, which in order to win, bite their own necks to get more oxygen. I think about these horses a lot. Once, in an easier time, I pretended to browse a sushi menu with...
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