Since quarantine has given people more time on their hands than usual, social media challenges are springing up everywhere.
People are sharing posts listing their favorite movies, sharing their favorite motivational quotes on their Instagram stories, and participating in challenges where people do ten push-ups. It's an enjoyable and mindless way to pass the time, but there is one particular challenge that has some people wondering if it's a little bit insensitive for this day and age.
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There is a challenge going around of people sharing their old senior pictures on Facebook as a show of support for the Class of 2020.
As a member of the Class of 2020 myself, this semester has been nothing short of crushing. All of the milestones I have worked for since kindergarten have suddenly been ripped from me. My college graduation has been postponed to an unknown date, I missed out on throwing a graduation party I had been excitedly planning for, and I didn't get to give my friends and my college campus the proper goodbye they deserve.
Every day, I ask myself, "Why did it have to be my graduating class?" This is the kind of experience I wouldn't wish on anybody. The fact that I have to finish my senior year in circumstances like this absolutely breaks my heart.
When I first saw that people were sharing their senior photos from social media, I was instantly reminded of the senior year I had lost. I knew that my year wasn't going to finish in the way I always dreamt it would. This year has had so many great blessings, experiences, and adventures, but I was looking forward to it ending with a graduation ceremony celebrating everything I had worked for. I'm grateful for all the things that did happen this year, but the fact that it won't end with me celebrating everything I've worked my entire life for with my family hurts more than anything else ever will.
If you're sharing your old senior photos as a show of "support" for the Class of 2020, I believe I speak for every high school and college student when I say that this is not a good way to show that you are thinking of and support us. You may be genuinely trying to support us, or you may just want your like for posting a throwback picture, but I can promise you there are much better ways to show you care about us.
When you post your old senior photos, we know that you got to complete your senior year the right way. You got to walk across a stage, hear your name called, receive a diploma, and then celebrate your accomplishments with your family. All those pictures do is just serve as a reminder that we won't get to do that this spring, and I am not lying when I tell you that is truly heartbreaking.
If you really want to support the Class of 2020 on social media, give us a virtual hug, send us an encouraging message, or just tell us that you recognize this is a terrible situation, and we don't deserve to go through this. As a senior, I can promise you that nothing would feel better than hearing someone tell me this is a terrible situation and they're here for me. In this day and age, hearing an encouraging word goes a much longer way than seeing someone post a throwback photo.
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