As my last assignment was submitted electronically, the relief I felt was different. 

The weight of four years of college still lay on my shoulders. There was no closure and there was no encapsulating end to my journey at the University of North Georgia. 

Rather, I was relieved to finally be done with having to do school work from home. Having to rely on electronic critiques and feedback is tough, especially with a graduating semester where you are trying to figure out if you are good at what you’re doing and whether you’re going to spend the rest of your life doing it. 

During the season of COVID-19  my friends became images on a screen. We could not celebrate our final semester of college together, and as we prepared to enter the business world, our jog turned into a sprint as we were rushed out of college. 

The most challenging part was that my frustrations had no focus. There’s no one person to cast blame against for COVID-19, quarantine or social distancing. Everybody had to do it, and my peers and I were just lucky enough to be graduating into it. 

We all have been frustrated during this season of life. My frustrations amount to nothing compared to the people who have lost family or friends in the last few months. 

Communities like Dawson County are strong because they stick together. As I became acquainted with the local community, I was surprised at the many mentions of how this is a place where anyone will pull over to help someone with a flat tire. 

That has become evident during the coronavirus and getting to see it through the lens of the newspaper has been extra special. 

So for everyone entering a new season of life such as myself, rally around the people around you. The quarantine will continue to be tough to get through as things begin to trickle back to normal.

We will need the images of our friends and the kind actions of the people around to push us through these next few months.