Just over a year ago, many students were on their spring breaks having the time of their lives. Students became hopeful that school was halfway through and summer was near. But when the pandemic hit and that hopefulness turned into fear, confusion and worry. Due to the pandemic, students were not permitted to come back to campus until the upcoming school year. 

Unfortunately, SLU students didn’t get the “ perfect spring” that people were used to in the past. Instead we were hunkered down in our homes eagerly awaiting the CDC to announce to the public that it was safe to be around more people than just our immediate families. Socializing with friends, having picnics, going on vacations and making memories with friends were not on the list of things we could do with our lives. 

There is no better feeling than walking down West Pine in the Spring and seeing the pink, red and yellow flowers blooming all around. Anybody can grab a blanket, lay on the quad, sit near the duck pond, do homework near the clocktower and even sit near Cupples House. People come out from their rooms to socialize, and you can see the frowns begin to turn into smiles and laughter. The breeze blowing in our faces, smelling the fresh air, rolling up our sleeves to get a little tan, soaking up the vitamin D, hearing the water running down the rocks near Chaifetz School of Business; there’s no better feeling. Nothing can beat spring time on SLU’s campus. 

As 2020 came to a close we had time to reflect on one of the most unpredictable and isolating years of all time. We learned and grew in many different ways that we didn’t expect. Going into the 2021 Spring semester things are looking more optimistic than they did last year. We’re finally at the point where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Watching the COVID-19 vaccine roll out to the masses is one of the most important factors in getting our world back to the way it was before the pandemic. Students are being offered the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Hopefully this proactive step will help get campus back to a sense of normalcy. Due to the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccinations, and spring coming upon us, we are beginning to see students out on West Pine socializing again, while maintaining a six-feet social distance. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way in which people socialize with one another, but being able to indulge in the little things that remind us of spring time at SLU, has brought us back to that perfect spring feeling.