To the Class of 2020,

I hear you. I feel you.

None of us ever expected things to be this way. We never expected to finish what was supposed to be the year we've all been waiting for from our dining room table. We never expected to not see our teachers and classmates for weeks on end. If you would've said to me on Friday, March 13, that it was my last day of high school, I would've laughed in your face and said, "See you on Monday." But it didn't end up that way. Cases of coronavirus were on the rise and health officials were urging everyone to take precautions. One month out of school turned into two. Two months then turned into never going back.

We had to adapt to a new normal: A normal of online learning and AP exams from our bedroom.

It's OK to be sad. It's OK to be frustrated.

Many individuals are experiencing losses large and small at this time, but all losses are legitimate. At first, I struggled to come to terms with the global pandemic that was occurring. I expected everything to blow over and I didn't think that it would further affect things more than it already had. But as the days went on, I realized this was bigger than I thought. I think many of us can resonate with that. As I started to come to terms with what was occurring around me, I entered a stage of anger and depression. And my classmates were feeling the same way. We stopped trying to convince ourselves that everything was going to blow over. We started accepting and entered a period of grieving.

Yes, this period of grieving is completely warranted.

I'm not going to tell you that it isn't because I feel the exact same way. We're grieving the loss of our last moments with our classmates who have been by our side for 12 or 13 years. We missed out on moments that we've waited our whole school career for. We're missing out on not just the traditions, but actually living them through.

But the sad truth is that people are dying.

It may not be in your immediate area, but there are families grieving over the loss of a loved one due to this horrible disease. We're living through a defining moment in history and although we cannot see it now, this will shape us and teach us lessons for many years to come. A pivotal moment in our lives was shaken up, and while we're sad, we're also learning to adjust. It might take some of us longer than others, but we're doing it. We're learning resilience and patience. While our celebrations and future may be on hold for a bit longer than we originally thought, we're going to be prepared for whatever the next challenge may be. We're all going to be stronger than most and forever be changed by this event. Trust me, I'm heartbroken too. I'm heartbroken for the first-generation students that don't get to walk across the stage and say, "I did it." I'm heartbroken for the Valedictorian who has worked incredibly hard over the course of the past four years and doesn't get to speak at their ceremony because they're not having one. I'm heartbroken for all of us, but that doesn't diminish our accomplishment. We still did it. We are still graduating.

Now, it's out into the real world. It's out into our world.

This event has caused us to grow up a little faster than we had intended, and that's OK. This is going to help us take on the world more prepared than any other generation before us. I understand feeling powerless and overwhelmed right now, but we are doing our part. By staying home, we're helping our world heal. Trust me, I'd rather be anywhere but home right now too, but that's just not possible. And by being home, it's forced me to think. I've been thinking about what more I could do to help. We cannot "come together" as individuals have been telling us to. We're more separated than ever. We're living in a period of such uncertainty and nobody has the answers a lot of us are looking for. As President Obama said in one of his commencement addresses to the Class of 2020, "This is your generation's world to shape." And he's right. While that may be intimidating at first, we will be a new wave of thinkers that will approach challenges differently than those before us.

Take this time that we've been given to think about that. Think about your values.

Think about where they may take you in the future. Think about what you can do now to help our future. I understand wanting to curl up into a ball and shut the world out. It's easy to do. But to get through this and face our new normal, we're going to have to switch our mindset. We're going to have to face this new world that isn't what we're used to and be OK with that. Our class is going to be bonded together like a class has never been bonded before, and while we may not have experienced the happy moments together like we intended to, we will have experienced the most defining moments of our society for the years to come.

Class of 2020, it's OK to be sad. It's OK to be angry. But turn those emotions into something prolific. We were challenged with this critical event for a reason, even though we may not be able to see it now.

From one 2020 graduate to another, congratulations. I am proud of you. Our events and celebrations may not take place, and we have to eventually be OK with that. That doesn't mean we didn't accomplish it. As I said earlier, we are still graduating.

We are going to be a transformative generation who can endure anything thrown our way.