The class of 2020 walked off campus on March 13 not knowing that it would be there last time in high school.

My classmates and I struggled the first couple weeks handling the news of not being able to participate in many senior traditions and having to leave behind classmates and teachers without saying goodbye. Although, I was complaining about being ready to graduate and being done with school, when it actually happened to me, I wasn’t ready.

My first few weeks of quarantine were spent unproductively sitting around and watching the days go by. But when I started to grasp the gravity of the situation, I knew I had to take advantage of this family time.

During this difficult time, being with family is more important than ever because for some of us it will be the last time we will spend time at home before heading off to college.

I’m not alone.

“During quarantine, I have been spending more time with my brother and sister swimming and baking, especially because I am going to Oregon in the fall,” senior Alex Kim said. “This is the time when I can hang out with them. We went to a drive-in movie together which we normally don’t do.”

My days have been spent hiking, biking, and running with my family in addition to binge watching shows together and having game nights. It’s a time where we can create new memories with our family instead of dwell on our past memories.

“I spend a lot more time with my family, we watch TV together, play cards, and go on walks together,” senior Justine Aynesworth said.

I have never had time to do activities such as baking and cooking with my parents working and myself in school. If school was in session, I’m uncertain if I would be able to do all these activities with my family while balancing college preparation and schoolwork.

College is a tough topic for many seniors because there is a lot to figure out. Quarantine has allowed me to plan out the next four years of my life with classes, major, requirements, and opportunities. I’ve had the time to think about what I want to do and what steps I have to take to achieve the things I want.

Without being in the school environment, it’s often difficult for many of us to motivate ourselves to complete tasks. I’ve taken this opportunity to train myself and be self disciplined. There is no class hours so I have been creating my own schedule and fitting in things I’ve always wanted to do.

With all this free time, I have been feeling like there is no purpose with the same cycle of events everyday. But we have to constantly remind ourselves that we are staying at home so we can eventually go out. Another thing to remember is that although we do not have the freedom to go outside, we have the freedom to make choices about what we do with our time in the house.

For my fellow seniors who are going to college in the fall, I recommend taking this time to research your major, the opportunities you can take, the classes you need to take, and the opportunities you are excited for.

We are the future and we should take advantage of the time we have to think about it.