It has been over a year since students received an email from Chancellor Donde Plowman on March 11, 2020, with the subject line “Urgent Message Regarding COVID-19 Response.” The email announced what students had already known for days and even weeks would happen: classes were moving online until April 3 and students were expected to stay home after spring break.

What no one knew at the time was that a year later, most classes would still be online, masks would still be required in most public spaces and COVID-19 would still be claiming thousands of victims a day.

Now, with increased access to vaccines and the end in sight, students are looking back and asking, “What did we just collectively go through?”

The main sensations are boredom and annoyance — boredom with constant talk about the pandemic, annoyance at masks and persistent isolation. But there is also real grief and heartache about the people and events that have been lost.

Below, a dozen students have shared their experiences of a year with the pandemic, both so that the community can begin to move forward from this strange year and so that we can understand the historical moment we have lived through together.

Their comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

When did you first know that everything was going to change?

“In the winter of 2019, my work (the hospital) announced that there were shortages of masks. That was when I knew things would change but I wasn’t sure to what extent yet.” – Morrigan Hess (’23)

“I remember seeing people like 2 weeks before the break loading up on toilet paper and I didn’t have a clue as to why they were buying so much because I didn’t realize they were preparing for a quarantine.” – Megan Toale (’22)

“I realized everything was going to change when on Thursday night — the 12th — my roommate and boyfriend and I were looking at UTK issuing an emergency statement saying school was closing with no apparent end in sight. The university barely even gives us holidays or snow days. For us to be asked to physically leave campus and return home indefinitely was massive. I sobbed all night that night knowing I had to leave and probably wouldn’t see my friends for the next 5 months.” – Reagan Abbott (’23)

“On March 15th, the day of my nineteenth birthday. My celebration plans had been cancelled, but since most of my high school friends were traveling home from their colleges, we had a last minute bonfire in my backyard. We were sitting around talking about how we could hang out during what we thought was a break, but in the back of my mind I somehow knew this wasn’t going to happen. Today is my twentieth birthday, and I haven’t seen any of those friends in a year.” – Abigail Lawrence (’23)

“We started my senior year of HS baseball on Monday, and on I think Tuesday night I was at my gym taking batting practice with my brother and another teammate when I saw the headlines that the NBA season was cancelled. We watched the news roll in on the TVs in the gym. That was the first time I knew that my senior year was going to be greatly affected.” – William Carter, (’24)

“My roommate’s sister goes to a different college, and they even extended their spring break, which I could never imagine a university doing, honestly, unless something was very wrong.” – Courtney Weaver (’23)

“I think Harvard was the first school to announce that students would not return to campus. This was like the second week of March, right before our spring break. That was the turning point for me – I knew at that point that the rest of the school year would be very different.” – Peter Olson, (‘20)

How did you spend your days in quarantine?

“The first month of quarantine, I legitimately did not leave the house except on 2 occasions to help my grandma. I watched a lot of Tik Tok and the news, and I went outdoors more than I have in years. I tanned outside a lot and FaceTimed my friends.” – Reagan Abbott

“I worked — and still work — with COVID patients so I pretty much went to work and then tried to stay home as much as I could. I only went out to get groceries or to work.” – Morrigan Hess

“Lots of sleeping, even if I wasn’t tired (it’s an easy way to pass the time), long drives through the backroads of my rural hometown, walks with my sister and my dog and painting!” – Abigail Lawrence

“I really didn’t have much quarantine in the beginning because I worked at a grocery store, and we were still open. Our hours were cut a little bit, but I still had to go to work. The biggest change was doing online classes instead of hiking up the hill everyday. It definitely messed with my sleep schedule, and I played more video games with that new found free time.” – Courtney Weaver

“Lots of food, family and boredom.” – William Carter

“I ended up painting a Tennessee checkerboard in my basement while watching every movie in the Marvel cinematic universe.” – Megan Toale

“I wrote more poetry, meditated more and kept in communication with the people I love online. But ultimately, I doubled down on work, trying not to let the pandemic throw me off.” – Jupiter Brown (’21)

“I moved home and was staying in my childhood bedroom, so I kept myself entertained by listening to my records and playing with my dogs.” – Bailey Kemper (’22)

“Bouncing off the walls wishing I could go out.” – Aubrey Doll (‘22)

What was the biggest event or milestone that the pandemic took from you?

“I didn’t get to walk at graduation, or even have a graduation at all. I got to hear a robot read my name on the website and that was it.” – Peter Olson

“Didn’t really get to celebrate my last birthday but my 21st is coming up soon so that’ll probably be lame too.” – Aubrey Doll

“The social injustice protests of the summer.” – Rachel Rice (’21)

“The biggest event or milestone that was taken from me would probably be the opportunity to work for the Atlanta Braves again during the summer.” – Megan Toale

“I turned 20 last May. I still got to hang out safely with my friends and family, but it was just different to be spread out 6ft apart in the backyard.” – Courtney Weaver

“Senior year, final baseball season where we were district favorites, a normal high school graduation, senior prom, freshman orientation” – William Carter

“I missed out on seeing the Rolling Stones and Harry Styles!” – Bailey Kemper

“I had to celebrate my 20th birthday with one person and that was it.” – Reagan Abbott

“The pandemic has taken from me the ability to meet in-person with my classmates, instructors, and my supervisor and colleagues at work before I graduate this year and move back to Chicago. It’s going to be hard enough leaving them to begin with — they have helped me at one of the most crucial periods of my life to discover who I am and grow as an adult. Some of them have reached out and offered to meet for coffee once we both get the vaccine.” – Jupiter Brown

If you had COVID at any point, what was your experience with the virus like?

“The first symptom was a horrible migraine followed by nausea that just would not go away. The next few days I found out my parents had it, and I just spent the weekend with them so I got tested, and boom there it was. Positive. I never had a fever luckily. I would put on a face shield and mask when going into my apartment kitchen to make food, then Clorox wipe everything down as I left.” – Courtney Weaver

“I’m positive I had it in December 2019, which was a few months before it was widespread in the states. I went to the health center here on campus, and the doctor told me he wasn’t sure what I had other than that it was some kind of respiratory infection. It felt like I was dying.” – Bailey Kemper

“For the first couple of hours after I woke up, I was stricken with this really awful flu-like sickness which included shortness of breath. However, I got much better by the afternoon, and from there I had mild sickness for two weeks or so.” – Jupiter Brown

“My version on COVID was pretty mild. I had horrible diarrhea and migraines for a week and I lost my sense of smell around the same time as Thanksgiving. It was uncomfortable and inconvenient but for the most part I was okay after that.” – Kaiya Moore (’23)

“I still haven’t caught it. Hopefully it stays that way.” – Reagan Abbott

If someone you know died of COVID, what was it like to lose someone from the disease? How did it change your experience of the pandemic?

“My pastor died of COVID. My church took it very seriously at first, then began to become lax. He caught it and died and it was a reality check for everyone that thinks ‘I’m safe around my friends and don’t need to wear a mask.’” – Reagan Abbott

“No one close to me has passed away from it, but people dying in my community made me think about how much this could have been prevented.” – Bailey Kemper

“Extremely heartbreaking. Definitely makes it ‘real’ when it hits that close but also thankful that I haven’t gotten it this entire year.” – Rachel Rice

What did you take for granted before COVID?

“Smiles and hugs.” – Bailey Kemper

“The ability of others to care about total strangers.” – Peter Olson

“I took for granted the freedom to do whatever I wanted, go wherever I wanted and spend time with whoever I wanted. And I’m going to be overjoyed when work and/or school is in-person again.” – Jupiter Brown

“PPE! I never in a million years would’ve thought that we would be encouraged to reuse PPE.” – Morrigan Hess

“I took for granted how much making actual in person connections was important to me!” – Kaiya Moore

“Being able to meet new people during in person classes.” – Aubrey Doll

“Going to packed places or parties.” – Rachel Rice

“Normal life.” – William Carter

What was a moment of beauty that came out of the pandemic?

“Wearing masks so I can talk to myself in public and keep me warm when it’s cold.” – Rachel Rice

“My job went from something that is looked over to being something very heroic. In 2020, nurses and CNAs (which is my job) on the COVID ward were constantly being shown great amounts of gratitude for what we do.” – Morrigan Hess

“I became closer to my high school best friend.” – Courtney Weaver

“I had enough time to do my homework and help my mom who recently went back to college with her homework when she needed.” – Aubrey Doll

“Getting closer with my sister when I moved back home.” – Reagan Abbott

“Community organization and outreach.” – Bailey Kemper

What was the loneliest moment you experienced during the pandemic?

“My childhood dog passed away from lung cancer during the pandemic, and it hit my family hard. We still miss him every day. Our pets were one of our main comforts during lockdown, and losing him was one of the saddest and loneliest moments of the pandemic.” – Abigail Lawrence

“I remember not being able to see my boyfriend who lives 7 hours away when we’re both home, and I hadn’t spoken to a single friend in about a month and I was FaceTiming him and broke down sobbing when our move out date in April was pushed back a month, because I’d not seen a single person outside my immediate family in a month.” – Reagan Abbott

“Because of what I do, at the height of COVID, those living with me decided to relocate for a few months to avoid the risk of me bringing the virus home and infecting them. I was not used to being that alone. At that point, my only in person interaction was when I was at work, in a hazmat suit.” – Morrigan Hess

“Not being able to see my grandmother was really tough because she lives alone.” – Bailey Kemper

“I think there’s constantly lonely moments because it seems like there’s always someone that has to quarantine that you know or you have to quarantine. Or are you just going through something in general whether it’s stress of school or the stress of the pandemic is just a lot in that moment.” – Megan Toale

“Never really felt lonely.” – Rachel Rice

What was the strangest image or moment that came out of the year with COVID?

“Probably the images of stores being completely out of things like toilet paper. I just kept thinking, ‘it’s a respiratory virus not a gastrointestinal one.’” – Morrigan Hess

“The celebrities singing (for whatever stupid reason) ‘cause we’d been in lockdown for a week.” – Rachel Rice

“Probably [seeing] professional athletes play their sports wearing masks.” – Megan Toale

“Seeing people on TV shows, pre-COVID in crowds and maskless.” – Reagan Abbott

“Seeing two folks kiss through their masks was jolting.” – Bailey Kemper

“Cardboard cutouts at sports events.” – William Carter

How seriously did you take COVID at first? In the middle of the lockdown? What about now, as it’s beginning to come to an end?

“It was one of the most terrifying experiences to first walk into a patient’s room who was COVID positive. I took it very seriously and still do.” – Morrigan Hess

“At first, I was mad I was being sent home. I called it a ‘spicy flu’ and said I shouldn’t have to go home. In the middle of lockdown, I was embarrassed to wear a mask. Now I post constantly about the importance of being selfless and wearing masks properly.” – Reagan Abbott

“Working at the grocery made me hate everyone during the first parts of the pandemic. Masks were optional and honestly I hated them. My younger sister made the family some and my mom begged me to wear it to work, but I just didn’t until our store required it for all employees. Now working in the medical field and after my grandfather almost died from it, I became super strict about people wearing masks. And funnily enough my mother switched perspectives and only wears her mask because I get passed otherwise.” – Courtney Weaver

“In March 2020 I didn’t leave the house, and if I did, I stayed in the car or just went for a hike. But then I eventually started to go out and I’ve worn a mask everywhere I go. Even now I rarely eat out just because there’s so many people not wearing masks so it’s the easiest place to get COVID.” – Megan Toale

“In the middle of lockdown I moved across the country to Oregon to start grad school and I wore a mask everywhere and was sanitizing a lot. Now at the beginning of the end, I am a little looser about wearing a mask among friends. I don’t wear a double mask.” – Peter Olson

What from this past year with COVID will you remember for the rest of your life?

“How I lived through a freaking pandemic. It’s crazy to think about where we’ll be 5, maybe even 10 years out from this thing.” – Rachel Rice

“How the world was flipped upside down and halted normal functions that I never imagined could or would ever stop like that.” – Aubrey Doll

“I will never forget how the people we elected to serve us failed so miserably at taking responsibility. So many Americans lost their lives because of the incompetence of our politicians.” – Bailey Kemper

“My experience with COVID has been very different than the general public’s, as I work with it. So I will remember my experience working in the pulmonary medicine unit at the height of a pulmonary virus pandemic.” – Morrigan Hess

“Attending Black Lives Matter protests during the pandemic.” – Abigail Lawrence

“I will never forget how the United States failed to respond to the virus adequately, resulting in half a million deaths while socialist countries like Cuba, China and Vietnam were able to mobilize to save lives and protect their economies at the same time. We had one of the worst responses to the virus in the world because of our commitment to neoliberal, cutthroat late stage capitalism.” – Jupiter Brown

“The failure of a meaningful response from the federal government.” – Peter Olson

“It seems like everyone had some type of loss this past year like I don’t know many people that could say March 2020 to March 2021 was the best year of their life. So I honestly feel like if anything the stuff I will remember for the rest of my life would be the bad things that happened.” – Megan Toale

“I’ll remember that you never know what you have until it’s gone. Don’t take anyone or anything for granted. Every moment with the people you love counts massively.” – Reagan Abbott

Special thanks to the following students for submitting their stories:

Morrigan Hess (‘23), Biology, Knoxville, TN

Abigail Lawrence (‘23), Geography, Seymour, TN

Megan Toale (‘22), Business Analytics, Suwanee, GA

Rachel Rice (‘21), Journalism and Electronic Media, Memphis, TN

Courtney Weaver (‘23), Pre-Pharmacy, Knoxville, TN

Reagan Abbott (‘23), Biology, Clarksville, TN

Aubrey Doll (‘22), Neuroscience, Clarksville, TN

William Carter, (‘24), Nuclear Engineering, Milan, TN

Peter Olson, (‘20), Environmental Studies, Knoxville, TN

Bailey Kemper (‘22), Religious Studies and Judaic Studies, Maryville, TN

Kaiya Moore (‘23), Business Public Administration, Chattanooga, TN

Jupiter Brown (‘21), Social Work, Chicago, IL