Lyn Bafour, a Cinema and Chinese major, has used her nightstand as a desk for online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If I just reorient myself on my bed, I feel like that’s enough mentally to make the switch of, this is where you sleep versus this is where you work,” Bafour said in a new video series exploring how students have adjusted to online learning this semester.
Despite the challenges with taking classes from home, the Trader Joe’s employee has found a way to prepare herself every day: “Wake up, get in the mindset and shake everything off — and just start doing the work.”
Cinema major Nithin Kumar said keeping his workspace clean and simple has helped him stay on task.
“I have my monitor. I have a keyboard. Basically, I have [my workspace] set up for maximum productivity with as little distractions as possible,” he said.
Sabrina Mota, a Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts major, said students shouldn’t be too hard on themselves, especially during this unprecedented crisis.
“Forgive yourself if this isn’t going to be your best semester,” Mota said. “Understand that a lot of people, they take a long time to go through school and they still end up being able to get to their aspirations and make change.”
The pandemic and shelter-in-place ordinances have made Bafour value the importance of human interaction more than ever.
“What’s going on right now is very isolating, and during the first few days, I was very lifeless. I didn’t know what to do with myself,” said Bafour, an employee at Trader Joe’s grocery store. “But talking to somebody really did help feel like things are normal and reaffirmed that other people are going through the same thing.”
Video produced by Sreang Hok and Kavin Chan