COVID-19 has continued to rule the classrooms of Brookdale Community College as 2021 begins, forcing most education to be a virtual affair. At this point, despite there being a silver lining to distance lining, it seems most students are ready to be facing each other in person once more.

“I really miss the social connections that in person learning provides. I also feel that it would be easier to learn more with the teacher right in front of you,” said Connor Hackett, a 19-year-old music technology major from Atlantic Highlands.

“Although Zoom classes are beneficial because they are more convenient and give students the opportunity to listen to lecture recordings, they are not the same as in-person classes,” said Heather O’Donnell, 20-year-old public health major from Little Silver. “I miss the interactions I would have in a classroom environment with my classmates and professors.”

Some students are trying to look at virtual learning as something different, but not necessarily bad. “Sometimes I miss the physical nature of being at Brookdale with my fellow students, but I think virtual learning works better than I expected,” said Julia Orrico, a 23-year-old nursing major from Freehold.

“I also find it a lot more convenient,” said David Baier, a 21-year-old psychology major from Manalapan. He, among others, noted how nice it is to not have a commute. “I’ve found online learning to be a lot easier, mostly because I don’t have to drive an hour to class.”

“The worst part about Brookdale was parking; I don’t need to worry about that now,” said Rishav Muhjehrkee, a 20-year-old business major from Sea Bright.

“I like that I don’t have to drive to and from campus for my classes,” Hackett said.

Professors are learning to adapt to new teaching methods as well. “Distance learning is a fairly new environment for me, as it is with many teachers and professors…I have been enjoying learning different ways to engage students in discussions over the last few months. I think the best way I have found so far is to pose questions in the discussion section of Canvas,” said Professor Kristin Florio, Brookdale adjunct and manager, sales & fundraising, 90.5 the Night.

“Discussions give students the opportunity to get to know one another as well as the topic we are covering in class,” Florio said.

Canvas, among other platforms, is a huge benefit to virtual learning. Juggling work and school is just a bit easier when you can access your classes anytime. “My office has worked out fine thus far,” said Tess Henry, a communications major from Lake Como.

“I love when lectures are recorded, which allows me to watch them and take additional notes,” Hackett said.

“I can’t imagine a life without Zoom and Canvas when it comes to being a student,” said Jamie Alison Kloor-Shin, a 41-year-old humanities and social science major from Manalapan who’s currently living in Singapore. “Without these great inventions, all students would have had to stop their education during the pandemic. Therefore, I am deeply thankful that I can tune into Zoom and Canvas in the comfort of my own home and still get an education that will enhance my skill sets for future endeavors.”

School, however, isn’t the only thing that’s been different since the pandemic started: entire sports leagues are having to teach themselves how to play again.

Sports at Brookdale Community College will be returning this spring. “Over 400 attendees have registered,” said Brian Rowan, Chair, Region 19 RTP Committee Executive Director of Athletics.

According to Region 19 executives, if everything goes as planned with the protocols of Covid-19, sports should continue not only for this upcoming semester but for the future as well. In March 2020, all sports were cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid-19. Since then, Region 19 has been trying their hardest to bring back sports and the time has finally come.

Furthermore, student athletes took a survey to determine whether or not they should participate in the spring season. “Thanks to Livingston, I think 10 of our colleges participated in the survey called Wellness,” said Rowan. Livingston is the creator of the Wellness survey and it was made strictly for the safety of student athletes who are looking to resume play.

“The plan is to keep coaches, students, and everyone involved informed at all times about what is currently going on,” Rowan said.

However, during the cancellation of all sports that involve physical contact, Esports was desired by many students. Esports is a form of sport competition using video games, which often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.

“Esports has been a shining star to keep some levels of engagement as far as competing. It has been new to us but it has definitely taken over across the country,” said Troy Tucker, executive director of Region 19 and director of athletics at Northampton Community College. Esports has grown tremendously on all platforms such as Youtube and it can’t be ignored, as it is going to be a big part of the future of sports for not only Brookdale students, but also worldwide.

Bottom line? The world is different. Even as things resume, they are not returning to “normal.” All we can do is take it one step at a time.