The Day Our World Shut Down

What do you remember about the day that we officially found out that school was going remote on March 11, 2020? How did you feel?

Ciera Phillpotts
(junior, psychology)
Honestly, I remember being in class and finding out we were going home for the whole semester, and I was super excited. I was homesick at the time so it seemed perfect to me; I couldn’t wait to go. I was a little sad because I was going to miss my friends, especially the ones who were graduating, but overall I was happy.

Shelly Rauser
(junior, biology)
I was about to board a plane to Peru for a mission trip on 3/11 when the pandemic was officially declared and AU announced they were going remote. I was stranded in Atlanta International Airport as I could no longer travel to Peru, but had no other flight. I started frantically looking for flights for that same day and began planning how to move out of the dorm. It was a stressful time!

Joshua Pak
(junior, biochemistry)
I remember that while I was pretty shocked that it came to having to leave, it just seemed that we would be back after spring break. Although I had kept up with the news, COVID-19's impact wasn't truly felt until the states started locking down and I couldn't see the end of quarantine. However, when I was leaving, I was just a little frustrated that I'd have to possibly go through the second semester of OChem online if the rumors of a slightly extended spring break did come true.

Kayla-Hope Bruno
(sophomore, psychology)
On March 11, 2020, I remember that I had a full day of classes and I was feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Wanting to release those feelings, I took a walk with my roommate to the Andreasen Wellness Center to grab a smoothie. When we got there and were waiting for our smoothies, I was looking through my phone and I got an email notification. I looked at the email, read through it, and then realized that most of the student body, faculty, and staff had to leave the Andrews University Campus within the next few days and that we were going fully remote because of the beginning of a global pandemic (COVID-19). I remember being in shock; I felt numb and I was internally panicking as well as wondering about the execution of my next steps and having to tell my parents that I had to be home within the span of the next few days. I know that I will never be able to forget the whirlwind of emotions and feelings that I felt on March 11, 2020.

Lex Pena
(junior, nursing)
I thought the day I found out school was going remote was crazy. I was literally shocked and panicked because I had bought a flight for spring break but had to move out of the dorm all of a sudden–although I was also kind of excited to see my family!

Amar Sudhaker
(sophomore, public health)
At first, I was uncertain about how things would go. But I also felt very grateful to be able to see my family in good health during that time and spend time with them.
Deandra Joseph
(graduate student, speech-language pathology)
I remember panicking and having a great deal of anxiety because I did not know what the future would hold. It was my undergraduate senior year, so I was even more devastated that I couldn’t say a proper goodbye to my longtime friends. I felt lost, anxious, and really depressed, but most of all scared that I wouldn’t survive.

Elianna Srikureja
(senior, English)
That day was really hard for me. I felt dread all day as we waited for the staff meeting and the announcement to come after that. I remember that in my 18th Century Lit class, Dr. Pittman had brought cake just in case it was the last time we’d see each other in person. When we officially heard the news, I immediately wanted to panic–I was taking OChem and I didn’t know how I would finish my labs. But at the same time, I felt so much reassurance both through some of my profs who reached out to ask if I needed help moving out and also through my close relationships with friends and God. That day definitely shattered the way that I understood the world, but it also helped me recognize and appreciate the friends in my life. While I felt really scared and even a little angry, I also felt love.

Sydney Saint-Jean
(senior, psychology behavioral neuroscience)
I remember the day we got the news that we were going home to learn remotely. It was bittersweet. I was excited to see my family, but I couldn’t believe that my last semester with a lot of my friends who were graduating had come to an end like this. I didn’t even have time to feel because the same day I got the news, I was trying to pack up my room, so I couldn’t process my emotions well. but the plane ride back home was definitely an emotional one. Knowing that some of those memories you could have made are no longer is definitely a sad thought.

Alyssa Henriquez
(senior, English and biochemistry)
I remember that afternoon so vividly. In my English literature class, Dr. Pittman brought cake for us all to share in case it was the last time we saw each other in person. Initially, the idea of having an extended spring break seemed fun, and I didn’t anticipate that we would literally be unable to return to campus until the next school year. I waited in anticipation with a couple of friends from English class, where we sat in PMC and waited for the provost to announce what was happening. When he finally revealed that we were going online, we were in complete shock. I went into the campus center about half an hour later and it was a crazy scene--everyone was congregated there and people were walking out of The Gazebo with huge bags of groceries. I realized that I wouldn’t see my friends who were graduating again and got incredibly sad. I cried a lot that week. I was supposed to go to Honduras for spring break and that got canceled, and I found myself at home for the entire summer living what felt like the same exact day over and over again. Although I got used to things over time like everyone else, that first day felt incredibly surreal.