ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Students in grades K-12 aren’t the only ones adjusting to non-Zoom school this fall.
Shelby Mejia, a sophomore at Muhlenberg College, spent her freshman year attending classes remotely at her home in Virginia.
This year, she’s living on campus and volunteered to serve as an orientation leader. Part of her role involves helping freshmen find their way around the college.
“I came in and I was like, oh, I'm totally prepared for this. And then I got here and I was like, whoa, wait a second, wait a second. What is happening?” Mejia said.
This is the first time since the pandemic began that Mejia will be sitting next to others in class. That’s because she was a senior in high school when COVID-19 first emerged in the U.S. and closed most schools.
“I have quite a bit of Zoom fatigue. I am very tired of staring at my screen all day. So it’s really going to be great to be in that open environment,” Mejia said.
Mejia described the atmosphere on campus as being friendly. She said students are looking to get to know each other.
“I feel like we're going back to normal and then some because people are really craving human connection right now,” Mejia said.
In terms of COVID safety, the college does require all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated unless granted a medical or religious exemption. Masks are also required in indoor settings.