I am about to be a sophomore in college at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, majoring in both Sculpture and Fibers & Materials Studies. My freshman year was cut short by the initial outbreak of the pandemic and I lost access to the studios, materials, and artistic community I had previously taken for granted. I had to finish my semester online, producing work without access to my mentors and peers who had provided much-needed insight and advice throughout my making process.

So much has changed for me in the five months I've been at home, trying to decide if returning to Chicago amidst all this chaos was a good idea or if I should stay home and do online school. What really influenced my decision to go back was how badly I felt I needed to get back to the SAIC community that had supported me during my initial transition into college. The people I met were going through the same thing I was, and I met some of my absolute favorite people in the first couple months. I move into my new apartment with some of them in a handful of days, so I've been trying to squeeze in as much time with my Houston community as I can before I leave.

It's bittersweet leaving again after having so much of the time I thought I'd get to use catching up with friends taken by quarantine, but it's made the time I got to spend with them that much better. I'm excited for whatever the future holds for me, even if that means online school and socially distanced coffee dates.

Nina French 

I am a junior at the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in the dance department. Like many students in Houston, I expected to return to classes after our extended break, but boy was I wrong. I found myself without a dance studio, proper flooring, necessary equipment, and my amazing dance teachers and mentors. The whole dance community was at a loss. Performances were now virtual, most teachers lost jobs or had to figure out Zoom classes, and choreographers found themselves making virtual ballets. My summer schedule, which had once been filled with dance intensives, was now completely open. 

Luckily for me, I was able to get a small square of flooring, build the right equipment, and participate in Zoom classes. My intensives became virtual, and while I didn’t get to enjoy the experience of meeting a whole new group of dancers from around the world, we were able to connect virtually through social media. Dancing on Zoom is not the same, but I am still so grateful for my teachers and the work that they put into trying to create some normalcy in our crazy quarantine world. 

Heading back to school this September, I’m unsure of many things. Will I choose to come back to in-person classes after our designated online time? If I do, will any of my friends come? What will happen to all of my dance performances? The one thing I try to remember amongst all this, is that no matter what COVID throws at the dance community, my friends, and my family, we can handle it.

Marjorie French