
Tsion
Teferi
is
a
2020
graduate
of
Potomac
High
School.
Her
year
began
with
the
traditional
festivities:
football
games,
homecoming,
and
thoughts
of
enjoying
her
last
year
of
high
school
with
friends
before
embarking
on
the
next
milestones
in
life.
But
when
the
COVID-19
virus
emerged,
Teferi
felt
blindsided
as
the
senior
year
she
envisioned
quickly
changed.
"I
was
truly
devastated,"
she
said.
"It
hurt
knowing
that
my
senior
year
was
taken
from
me
in
a
matter
of
seconds."
At
Osbourn
Park
High
School,
junior
Rachael
Tang
was
completing
an
art
project
for
her
Advanced
Placement
(AP)
2D
Studio
Art
class
when
it
was
announced
that
school
would
close
for
the
remainder
of
the
year.
"At
the
very
beginning
of
the
school
closure,
my
focus
was
mainly
on
completing
the
third-quarter
grades,
and
then
I
turned
my
focus
on
my
AP
tests,
which
consisted
of
AP
2D
Studio
Art,
AP
Biology,
AP
Chemistry,
and
AP
Language
and
Composition,"
Tang
said.
Both
students
adapted
quickly
to
their
new
at-home
learning
environment
and
developed
strategies
for
success.
Routine
was
at
the
heart
of
Tang's
strategy.
She
started
her
virtual
school
day
by
checking
her
school
email
for
assignments
and
updates
from
her
teachers.
Once
determining
the
tasks
for
the
day,
she
would
migrate
to
a
different
section
of
her
home
depending
on
what
course
assignments
she
would
tackle
first.
"I
started
to
create
specific
spots
around
my
house
where
I
could
study
for
each
of
my
AP
classes,"
she
said.
"This
way
it
helped
me
to
organize
my
thoughts
and
focus
solely
on
each
subject
in
a
quiet
and
non-distracting
environment,"
she
added.
Taking
breaks
was
also
an
important
part
of
Tang's
daily
routine
as
well
as
taking
time
for
eating
well,
getting
adequate
amounts
of
sleep,
and
connecting
with
friends
via
text
or
video
calls.
"I
always
made
sure
that
my
brain
was
in
the
best
head
space
to
work.
Sometimes
that
meant
that
if
I
was
working
on
chemistry
or
biology,
I
would
switch
to
working
on
my
art
projects.
I
would
even
switch
to
something
totally
different,
such
as
playing
the
guitar,
calling
my
friends,
chatting
with
family
members,
going
for
a
walk
when
it
was
nice
outside,
or
anything
to
keep
myself
alert."
For
Teferi,
the
time
at
home
provided
an
opportunity
to
not
only
fulfill
her
learning
requirements,
but
to
fulfill
some
personal
goals
she
had
been
putting
aside.
"I
started
working
out,
cooking,
and
painting,"
she
said.
"One
hobby
I
latched
on
to
is
running.
I
run
for
miles
and
time
myself
as
if
I'm
on
a
track
team."
While
trying
to
stay
positive
about
her
time
at
home,
Teferi
acknowledges
she
has
faced
adversity.
"The
most
intense
experience
I
had
during
COVID-19
was
losing
my
job,"
she
shared.
"Not
being
able
to
make
an
income
and
save
money
for
college
has
been
very
stressful."
Teferi
understands
the
great
challenges
that
the
coronavirus
has
created,
but
also
views
the
response
to
those
challenges
as
valuable.
"It
has
forced
people
to
attempt
doing
things
on
their
own
which
I
feel
people
need.
People
now
are
doing
school
online,
cooking
at
home,
taking
daily
exercises
outside,
and
even
trying
to
be
their
own
hairstylist.
This
virus
has
caused
people
to
be
more
independent."
Now
that
her
senior
year
has
come
to
a
close,
Teferi
reflects
on
what
she
has
learned
from
this
unprecedented
experience.
"During
tough
moments
in
life,
look
at
the
bright
side
of
things,
be
patient,
hopeful,
and
have
perseverance.
You
must
be
strong
during
the
process,
but
it
will
finally
lead
you
to
success."
And
while
the
outcome
of
Teferi's
time
at
home
is
insight
and
perspective,
for
Tang,
it's
a
portfolio
of
inspired
art.
"Even
though
our
course
abruptly
changed
over
to
digital
communication,
Rachael
never
compromised
her
artistic
integrity
or
the
quality
of
her
portfolio,"
said
Jennifer
Marshall-Greeson,
art
teacher
and
chair
of
the
Visual
Arts
Department
at
Osbourn
Park
High.
"She
wanted
every
piece
to
be
completed
to
the
best
of
her
ability,"
she
added.
Passionate
about
her
artwork,
Tang
was
able
to
express
the
current
pandemic
visually
through
her
final
two
pieces
for
2D
Studio
Art
that
would
be
submitted
as
a
part
of
her
AP
Exam.
"My
ninth
piece
was
centered
around
the
current
circumstances
with
coronavirus
and
the
gratitude
for
healthcare
workers
and
their
sacrifices.
I
wanted
to
show
that
even
in
isolation
there
is
still
unity.
My
10th
piece
was
an
up-close
picture
of
a
blue
poppy
in
a
field
of
red
poppies.
I
also
have
British
heritage
and
so
red
poppies
symbolize
sacrifice,
service,
and
loss
in
war.
During
the
COVID-19
pandemic,
the
British
National
Health
system
chose
blue
poppies
as
their
flower
to
represent
the
health
worker's
sacrifice
and
service.
Thinking
about
all
of
this,
I
thought
it
was
a
good
way
to
visually
represent
hope
and
also
was
a
suitable
way
to
close
out
my
portfolio."
Overall,
distance
learning
allowed
Tang
to
understand
her
strengths
and
weaknesses,
something
she
hopes
can
help
her
continue
to
grow
as
a
student
in
the
coming
years.
"Online
learning
pushed
me
to
be
more
responsible
in
terms
of
managing
my
time
wisely,
seeking
others'
help,
and
pushing
myself
to
work
even
when
my
motivation
was
low.
These
are
the
lessons
I
hope
to
take
and
apply
to
my
future
career
and
further
education."