The second in a series 草莓传媒鈥檚 Kate Ryan on local high school seniors and how they鈥檙e coping with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the end of their school careers.
Student: Andrea Darmawan, 18
School: Robinson Secondary School, Fairfax, Virginia
Future: University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Intended major: Political science
On one level, having to stay at home and take part in distance learning wasn鈥檛 a big deal for Andrea Darmawan, 18, a senior at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia: 鈥淚鈥檓 an introvert by nature,鈥� she said, 鈥渟o I have not been too upset, to be honest.鈥�
But it did have its challenges. For one, she said, 鈥淚 struggle with being productive at home,鈥� and the structure of being in school helped her stay focused.
The other challenge was that Darmawan is blind, and having software that could meet her needs was critical.
Darmawan said she was lucky: One teacher had the foresight to get 鈥渁ll the blind and visually impaired students at our school together to test the software.鈥� They did find some bugs that would have made the software unusable. 鈥淚t could have been worse,鈥� she said with a laugh.
Like every high school senior, Darmawan dreamed of hearing 鈥淧omp and Circumstance鈥� at her graduation ceremony, crossing a stage and collecting her diploma.
She recalled in previous years watching livestreams of her friends鈥� graduations and thinking 鈥淥h my gosh, I can鈥檛 wait to be that person! I can鈥檛 wait to be up on that stage, and they鈥檙e going to be saying my name and they鈥檙e going to have everyone clapping for me and it鈥檚 going to be so great!鈥�
Then along came the coronavirus. 鈥淎nd then it was, 鈥極h well, nope.鈥欌��
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Graduation was scheduled for June 3, and there will be a photo opportunity for students, but Darmawan said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of anti-climactic, really.鈥�
For her, the effects of the pandemic could last well past high school: Her first-choice college was Emerson, in Boston, and she was accepted there. But she knew she needed to visit the school before enrolling, to determine whether it would be a good fit, especially from a logistical point of view.
The plan was to fly up with her mother and take advantage of an orientation. That鈥檚 when the coronavirus pandemic struck: Virginia鈥檚 stay-at-home order went into effect, and travel would mean a 14-day quarantine in Boston, which wasn鈥檛 feasible.
So, the decision was made to attend the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg, where she鈥檒l study political science. And her future looks bright. She was thrilled to hear that the school plans on having classes on campus 鈥� she won鈥檛 have to settle for distance learning.
鈥淚 need to be there,鈥� she said. Besides, having to pay for a college education but take lessons online 鈥渘egates the whole experience.鈥�
She said her teachers have prepared her to head off to college 鈥� and have helped her push herself. One teacher, in particular, Ms. Bremer, nudged her 鈥渙ut of my comfort zone.鈥�
She also described Mr. Ruiz and Ms. Marker as inspirational, passionate about their subjects and supportive of their students.
鈥淎s a student with a disability, I always feel like I鈥檓 kind of a burden,鈥� Darmawan said, 鈥渂ecause I have accommodations that teachers need to fulfill.鈥�
She said she felt supported at Robinson, but that wasn鈥檛 always the case.
Darmawan was born in Indonesia, and attended school there for a year before coming to the United States.
鈥淚 come from a country where people with disabilities don鈥檛 have many rights,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e supposed to manage on your own.鈥�
She’s managing plenty as it is, as the coronavirus is directing a major part of the course of her life.The loss of her graduation and the change in her college plan are behind the advice she gives for others affected by the pandemic: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the lesson I have, I guess: Just keep in mind that things aren鈥檛 always going to work out the way you imagined.鈥�
