18 Years Old

5 Ft. _9 Inches

Black

Andrew Buenviaje, Daniel Lee

Not a chance

None

Video games, anime

The internet, Discord

Screen time

Minecraft, osu!, Genshin Impact

None

I haven’t read a real book on my own in

years
Steins;Gate

I don’t watch movies

Sparkling water
❖ Going to school

❖ Interacting with humans

❖ Waking up at 6:50

❖ Actually exercising

❖ Getting to know my teachers

❖ Marching band

❖ Hanging out after school

❖ Saxophone lessons

❖ Getting fresh air

❖ Homework

❖
❖ Marching band in 2020

❖ SATs

❖ ACTs

❖ 2020 AP Tests (cause those don’t count)

❖ Building a boat in physics

❖ All-state band in 2021

❖ College tours

❖ Eating lunch with the boys in the band room

❖ Band concerts and festivals

❖ Making new friends in person

❖
 For me personally, the circumstances of the pandemic were not
extremely unfavorable. I’m used to sitting in front of a screen for long
periods of time. I think I’m in a very lucky minority to be able to be
thankful for the pandemic for essentially forcing me into my comfort
zone. I’m grateful to be well off enough that the pandemic is merely an
inconvenience in general, and not a life-changing disaster. So if
anything is the greatest reason the pandemic was bearable for me, it’s
that I’m already used to this lifestyle.
However, something that has definitely been indispensable for my
experience during the pandemic is Discord. In communities made by my
friends and other RB students, I was able to stay in touch with my
classmates every day. I spent nearly every night talking with friends,
studying together or playing games together. Without Discord, I would
have been bored much more often, so I am thankful to my classmates for
giving me this opportunity.
And finally, the bane of my free time, video games, anime, and
manga. I have always spent the vast majority of my free time on those
things. Each video game is a skill in its own right, and I can spend hours
into trying to improve at each one. The worlds of anime and manga
provide me with an escape if I ever need one, and they provide a fun
contrast to the monotony of my room.
 Even though I was already used to a lifestyle holed up in my room,
quarantine was still difficult. One thing that made it hard was the lack of
real social interaction. As I remained sedentary in my room, I would go
days or weeks without meeting anybody outside my house in person.
Consequently, I started to take less care of myself, and I became less and
less presentable. However, going out to play with friends during
occasional weekends infuses a little energy into my life and reminds me
to maintain myself.
Another thing that has made quarantine is my skin problems. I’ve
had eczema since I was very young, and it has always mostly been a
seasonal thing. However, staying in the same room for so long has made
these problems remain for a very long time. While it sucks to endure, this
condition also reminds me how nice it is to get out of my room once in a
while and get some fresh air.
Finally, like most people, I have noticed a decline in focus and
motivation throughout the quarantine. Before the pandemic, I was able to
consolidate my learning through homework alone and generally not
have to study, but being at home has created a very different learning
environment for me. I noticed that my test scores would decline if I didn’t
put in some extra effort to pay attention during classes and review
outside of class, and I’m kind of grateful for experiencing this.
 The biggest way that my life has changed was that I stopped going to
school. The pressure of waking up each day and knowing that I have to
get up and go all the way to school has almost disappeared. I also got to
experience life without having to dedicate so much time to
extracurriculars like band. Going to school at home has, in general, taken
off a lot of stress for me.
Thanks to the accessibility of virtual school for me, as my computer
is located in my room, my sleep schedule has also noticeably gotten
worse. Since the last bell schedule change, I have been waking up at 7:20
on weekdays, a mere ten minutes before class starts. Getting less sleep
has been significantly less detrimental to my experience at online school
compared to in-person school, as just being at school seems to demand
much more energy and rest. I’ve been able to run on far fewer hours of
sleep compared to before quarantine.
Quite ironically, I have arguably gotten more social interaction
during quarantine than during any other time period. I talk for hours
every day with friends on Discord, and it has become a standard part of
my daily life. Before pandemic, I would basically never hang out with
friends or really talk with them much outside of school, but quarantine
has enabled all of us to come together online and have lots of fun
together once again.
 I think the greatest way I have changed during the pandemic is that
I’ve become more willing to socialize and speak with people in general.
Spending so much time on Discord has really helped me reduce my
social anxiety a lot. I’ve begun to look forward to speaking with people
rather than be afraid of doing so, and I’ve been feeling much more
confident about integrating into college life in the near future.
Admittedly, one major way I have changed during this time period is
that I’ve definitely gotten even lazier than before. I was already
characteristically a pretty lazy person, but the accessibility of online
school has made my responsibilities even more laid back. I have little
pressure to manage my sleep schedule and my time in general
nowadays, and with the year coming to a close, there isn’t too much
work to do. I know I will have to make major changes once college rolls
around, but for now, I want to enjoy this.
One last way I’ve changed is that I’ve generally become more
appreciative of company. Interacting with friends so much has showed
me how fun it can be to work with others towards a common goal or just
hang out in general. I’d always preferred to be a lone wolf in the past,
opting to do projects in school independently and the like, but I’ve found
out how fun it can be to collaborate with friends.
 The biggest lesson I’ve learned during the pandemic and
quarantine is to appreciate what little time I have left to relax and
live stress free. While it’s certainly unfortunate that I had my senior
year taken away from me thanks to social distancing mandates, the
opportunity to stay at home for so long and enjoy myself is likewise
a once-in-a-lifetime, if not once in a generation experience that I will
not forget. Moving on, life won’t be nearly as laid back, and I’m truly
grateful that I am privileged enough to be able to experience the
pandemic this way.
Looking back on my high school years over this time, I’ve
learned just how valuable getting involved with extracurriculars and
the like can be. Personally, I was very uninvolved in the scene, only
participating in marching band, but I’ve learned how activities like
these are treasure troves of useful experience. In college, I resolve to
get involved with research and find clubs I’m interested in.
Interacting with friends so much over this time period has really
taught me how valuable friends are. I used to think that I could be
totally fine without friends or social interaction, but I’ve come to
learn how nice it is to have those things. In the future, I will definitely
make greater efforts to become friends with more people.
I interviewed my mom.

> 1. What's something you wanted to do during the

pandemic but couldn't due to restrictions?
The lockdown has stopped some of our family’s travel
plans.
> 2. What are some ways in which quarantine has been
difficult for you?
It actually hasn’t been really difficult for me. I enjoyed
staying at home with the rest of the family.
> 3. How has life changed during the pandemic for you?
Since I’ve been working from home since before the
Insert
pandemic, life hasn’t really changed too much.
Video
> 4. How has your work situation changed over the
pandemic?
Work is still pretty much the same, but I don’t have to go
visit clients or attend conferences.
> 5. What are some ways you have changed as a person
over the pandemic?
I think I have become more forgiving and happy.
> 6. What's a skill you were able to improve through
quarantine?
I got to practice my cooking a lot, and I have had the
opportunity to go hiking a lot as well.
> 7. What are some life lessons you have learned after
experiencing the pandemic?
Freedom is not something we should take for granted and
we should embrace what we have and be happy.
Dear Alec,

Hello, to me. I don’t know when you’ll be reading this,

or if you ever will. This is just a page in a rather
insignificant assignment, and I’m sure you’ll have forgotten
about this for years before seeing this again. But if a long
time has passed, I want to congratulate you for getting
where you are. Maybe you aren’t where you exactly want to
be yet, but you’ve put in the work. The journey isn’t
necessarily over yet, and there is still room to go, so don’t
beat yourself up if you haven’t gotten there yet.
I bet you’ve mastered living
Insertalone by this point. As I am
right now, I can still barely take
Videocare of myself, but you’ve
probably had to learn how to do that very quickly in college.
Here
I also bet you’re a fantastic cook now. For how much I
complain about food, I hope you won’t disappoint your past
self.
And now, for the most important thing. Are you still
enjoying anime, manga, and light novels? I have good faith
that you are. I see no way in which I will give up these
things. They’re quite irreplaceable at this point for me, and I
bet they still hold a special place in your heart. I’m curious
as to how animation has grown in the years since. It’ll be
crazy to think of some of my favorite shows now eventually
becoming considered as ancient.
I’m sorry that I don’t have much to say. I like to live for
the present, but I still wish for a good future. Moving on, I
hope you’ll keep living your best life. I won’t be saying
goodbye because I’ve never left you.