Written by Allison Birnberg
Class of 2020 Hopkins High School
Previously known to the world as the generation that mastered technology and spent hours staring at screens, we were the teenagers obsessed with our iPhones and AirPods. We were now the generation faced with a pandemic. We were identified as Generation Z or Post Millennials but now we were the Quaranteens: a group of teenagers born between the years 2001 and 2007. A group of teenagers that had to undergo something unknown to the world: a pandemic that stopped the world, forcing our schools to close, our proms to be canceled, and our senior years to be altered.
Standing six feet apart. Washing hands for 20 seconds. Wearing masks whenever in public. These were the sayings that engulfed our social media accounts, newspapers, and all online platforms. These were the actions we were constantly hearing and abided by in hopes that we could save the last of our senior years. Holding on to this hope, we, Quaranteens reframed from escaping the walls of our homes. We reframed from letting this global pandemic take over and destroy our lives, rather we held onto the hope and sought out the good.
As the month of March progressed so did the virus and we watched as COVID-19 became our life. We experienced the online school system with Zoom classes and virtual communication. The Quaranteens had no choice but to be okay with their new schooling and a new way of life. We showed that we can and do face change and challenges bravely and head-on. The Quaranteens yet again showed their strength as they found all the positives in a global pandemic. TikToks became the fun way to pass time, home workout videos became the new thing, and car meetups quickly became the most popular way to see friends while staying 6ft apart.
As we grow older, we will be remembered as the kids that had undergone a global pandemic. As the generation that revealed the few positives in COVID-19. As the ones that made the best of the worst days in world’s history. Our legacy had switched in that month of March and now we will forever be known as the Quaranteens. Congrats to the class of 2020 Quaranteens!
A future University of Maryland Terp
