The fall semester, like the leaves on the ground, is drawing to a slow end. For many of us the end will come with a huge relief of having weathered the storms never before seen. 

With hopes of a better Spring 2021, Laurentians have started making different arrangements for the year ahead, which include continuing their academics in-person or online, working, volunteering or touring/traveling to far away lands. I asked two Laurentians planning for two different scenarios ahead. Anuva Anannya, a junior hoping to study on campus, and Jedidah Ngarah, a senior hoping to advance her career in the United States. 

Lehlomela Simon Mofali (LSM): What is your favourite memory of fall 2020 or your time at SLU in general?

Jedidah Ngarah (JN): My favourite memory of SLU…I still tell people this, I was a freshman, I was in the chapel, and the man who sat in front of me, greeted, gave a really firm handshake, really really firm, I did not know him because I came in the spring and did not know who was who. As it turned out, it was President [Bill] Fox. 

Anuva Anannya (AA): So many to choose from, I don’t even know how many more I will create in the next week! Hiking with my friends from my family unit and international students, we hiked up to the top of Mout Arab. My family unit sat together and ate lunch made by our mom, Megan Putney. The lunch was delicious. We climbed the tower, took photos and looked at the beautiful surrounding lakes. I made new friends on that hike. It was one of my first real hikes. 

LSM: What are your plans for spring 2021? 

JN: Continue the career in the US, go to grad school or even go to both. I am an Econ and Stats major, so I want to apply those skills in Finance and Tech. Tech because of my stats and experience with computer programming. I am also looking into grad schools including North Eastern University in Boston, while there I will do about two and half years for my MBA and a Masters in Finance. 

AA: Spring 2021 I really need to be on campus to fulfill the subjects with lab components. I am currently on the waiting list to be on campus. If it is online, I will go to Bangladesh, and resume my studies from there. 

LSM: If you do go to Bangladesh, how would you live your daily life? 

AA: I would start my classes at about 7pm and my latest would be at 5 am which will mess me up. Another problem is that the weekend is Friday and Saturday, meaning I will be spending less time with my family. Basically my weekend would be ruined. Upside is that my mom will be making delicious food and I won’t have to cook or clean.  I will have emotional support 24/7, and I will also get to see my cousins and neighbours. 

LSM: When do you anticipate to be back on campus? Jedidah, are you planning to come back to campus at some point? 

AA: Back to the States in June or July, to resume Geology research. Although I don’t know how that will play out, because it will be an unusual semester. I may not be a SLU fellow anymore, but the plan is to go to Nevada and Utah with my professor. 

JN: Yes, I would come back to campus as needed, because people that came back are the ones that helped us to get to where we are now. 

LSM: Last question, what changes do you want to see on campus when you return? 

JN: When I come I would like to hear that we have more volunteers for campus kitchens because it is for a good cause. I would like to see the same sense of community as now. I wanna be back to a more lively campus, being able to go from dorm to dorm, hanging out with friends. 

AA: I would like to see covid vanished, diminished, whatever, and less use of disposable utensils. Recycling needs to be done better.