STORY SAMANTHA HOMANN | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY STUDENTS Gemma Schmidt Alannah Templon Making It Through Students and alumni alike work through unprecedented challenges The world changed drastically in 2020 in unprecedented ways, challenging students everywhere. Gemma Schmidt was an Oklahoma State University freshman studying political science and Spanish when the virus hit. She was president of the CAS Freshman Student Council and was recently elected a freshman coordinator on the main CAS Student Council. “I have a harder time retaining information and applying myself in my classes when learning online instead of in person. For the most part, I try to keep myself as busy as possible and keep an optimistic attitude when times get tough,” she said. Alannah Templon was elected as CAS Student Council president during the chaos. Even though she found the transition to online classes difficult, she thanked her professors and teaching assistants for making the best of the situation. Templon was involved in research at both OSU and the University of Oklahoma last spring. “Since my research at OSU is conducted entirely online, I have been able to continue my research during the pandemic. The professor I work with, a grad student and I have been able to hold meetings over Zoom through the end of the school year and during the summer,” she said. “My research that I had been conducting at OU, however, has been postponed indefinitely since March.” Both Templon and Schmidt were part of organizations that had to adapt. While many events were canceled, others became virtual. The CAS Student Council moved the annual Three-Minute Thesis competition online. Student Council elections were held virtually. Some organizations like Frontier Mosaic, an undergraduate literary publication, and the OSU Dance Company had to cancel their events. And when graduation was postponed, many seniors struggled with ending their college career in such a manner. Adam Glover, a creative writing major, graduated in May. “Honestly, I still haven’t felt like I’ve graduated because I did what I’ve done every finals week: finish my last assignments, turn them in and await the next semester,” Glover said. “Without a ceremony to really celebrate my last four years at OSU, it feels like I haven’t actually graduated yet.” 4 CONNECT 2020
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