Today is my nineteenth birthday: my nineteenth year around the sun; a year past legal adulthood. Turning 19 right now seems so surreal because I never imagined that this would be the way it would go. The severe impact that the coronavirus has had on the world, was not something anyone could predict, including me. Last year when I would think about my nineteenth birthday, I would think about how it was a Saturday, and how it would be during midterm season, so I would be drowning in work. I find it so fascinating how life has changed so drastically since this day last year. Last year I was living in my dorm, focusing on classes and dance. Now I am living at home, still drowning in schoolwork, but with no extracurricular activities to attend. I can't go to any parties or anything like that so I stick to seeing a few friends, making sure to take every precaution against the virus. My life has changed in many ways since last year; things like my hair, my weight, the way I dress, and my sense of humor have all evolved. I have a job now that I didn't have last year, and my major has changed as well.

I find it fascinating how so much can change in so little time; it shows how fast-paced and dynamic life is; it has also taught me that I should never take things for granted. You never know when an opportunity will slip away or when your world will change. I have definitely become more impulsive since last year, and although I don't really feel older, I do feel like I have grown a lot since my last birthday. COllege really does change you, and it makes you realize a lot about yourself. I realized strengths and weaknesses that I had no idea about and I was able to focus on these for the past year to better myself.