“Hey everyone, it’s Mackenzie! I’m the events and activities officer for the Equity Constellation and I’m here to give you check-in on how my quarantine is going. I am a senior undergrad at UMD, or at least I was until I graduated this past week. It’s been a little difficult dealing with my
senior year coming to an abrupt end and not having a proper goodbye to the university and my friend group – or being able to walk as part of my graduation and have my family and friends there. But, the departments did do a good job of hosting a virtual ceremony for us.

I am quarantining with my roommate – who’s one of my closest friends – and my girlfriend, so it’s wonderful to have them there to support me and celebrate me graduating. There’s been a couple things I’ve been doing to make this time more worthwhile so I feel like I’m getting more out of it. I started bullet journaling which has been a nice way for me to reflect on this time and my time as an undergrad. I’ve had more time to work on my oil painting which is one of my favorite things to do and I haven’t had as much time to do it this past year since I was applying to grad schools. I’ve adopted a new cat! He’s like a little new member of the family. It’s been nice to have that wholesome entertainment during this time. I’ve been cooking a lot too. It’s nice to focus more on eating wholesome meals especially since I’m vegetarian so it’s been a nice opportunity for me to investigate very nutrition-dense meals. I’ve been doing lots of baking too! I’ve never been much of a baker, but it’s fun to jump on the trend and share a sourdough starter with friends. It’s been a nice way to bond with humans without being there physically with your peers.

Obviously, some days are better than others. I’ve been on a mental health journey the past couple years and this has definitely been a tricky time to get through but I think it’s important to remember that not every day will be a day of progress or growth. It’s ok to just let yourself get by sometimes. I’ve had a lot of moments like that lately and that’s ok. I hope you all are getting through your rough periods and if you’re getting
some progress out of this – personal growth, professional growth – that’s awesome, and I really hope you are all making the best out of this time. I hope I get to see you on the other side. Bye!”