by Kelly Kandra Hughes
Photo Courtesy of Bina Barstad

When Norfolk resident Ellie Olsen moved into her dorm room at Boston University in September 2019, she felt terrified of the unknown. No one else from her high school had chosen B.U., and she had only met her roommate once before during orientation. Still, she felt ready to leave high school, Norfolk and her family behind. “I was sad to leave home,” she says. “But I was ready to let something bigger into my life.”

By the time January 2020 rolled around, Olsen had acclimated well to college life. She figured out how and where to study. She put herself out there to find a group of friends. She laughs about how she tried eight different clubs, looking for the right fit. When she returned to her dorm room that winter, she and her friends were excited to see each other. “It felt much more like going home this semester. I knew what to expect with Boston, with my classes, and my friends.”

Less than two months later in March 2020, Olsen found herself leaving her newfound home for her old one back in Norfolk. Boston University closed the dorms and moved all classes online due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 across the United States. Olsen says she’s relatively okay with what happened. “This is not the experience that anyone signed up for. But I am grateful I have Norfolk to come back to. I’m also grateful this happened my first year, where it’s a transition for me. I’m excited to go back, though.”

For other college students, going back is not an option. Norfolk resident Bina Barstad graduated this past May from West Chester University with a Bachelor of Art degree in English and a minor in creative writing. The only reason she would go back in the fall of 2020 is to attend a graduation ceremony and say goodbye to her professors in person. But even those options are uncertain, as West Chester hasn’t set a makeup commencement date yet for their spring 2020 graduates, nor have they decided about reopening campus in the fall.  

Barstad isn’t even sure she would attend a ceremony at this point, as she plans to work for a year before returning to school for an M.F.A. in poetry in fall 2021. “I feel like that part of my life is done,” she says. “But if my parents wanted to go, then I would do it.” 

Celebrating with family is one of the aspects that Barstad was most looking forward to with graduation. She had hoped her parents in Pittsburgh would be there, as well as her boyfriend’s parents. “My parents and Andrew’s parents shaped my life. An occasion like graduation takes on a deeper meaning when it’s a union point with our loved ones.”

Not that Barstad didn’t celebrate her graduation. Her college roommate drove from Philadelphia to Norfolk for a ceremony in Barstad’s living room. Her parents participated through Zoom. Her boyfriend’s mother played “Pomp and Circumstance” on a kazoo. “It was a wonderful and goofy four minutes with no speeches, which I was glad about,” says Barstad. Then, she moved her tassel from right to left while her family took screenshots. 

It’s traditions like moving tassels, walking across the stage, and receiving a diploma that Holly Alexson was most looking forward to with her graduation. Alexson grew up in Norfolk, earned an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Northwestern Connecticut Community College, then enrolled in an online program at Westfield State University. “I was looking forward to a traditional end to my nontraditional experience. I never lived on campus or had that dorm life experience. It was all the hard work without a lot of the fun. I’m rolling with the punches, but I am disappointed.” 

Alexson finished her college experience with a special award for her summa cum laude honors and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. Like Barstad, she believes a fall graduation ceremony wouldn’t be the same. Come fall, Alexson may already be enrolled in a human services graduate program, which is what she is planning for her future. For the time being, she’s happy with the celebration her mother coordinated. “She went above and beyond,” says Alexson. “My mom made a fake diploma and framed it. We had tassels. We did it our own little way. It was great!” 

While Barstad and Alexson are moving on to the next stages of their life, Olsen waits to hear official word from Boston University about whether or not campus will open in the fall. She’s heard rumors that large lecture classes will remain online, but that smaller classroom experiences may be a possibility. Olsen, whose professional goal is to become a pediatrician, talks about the educational opportunities and 10 different hospitals in the Boston area when discussing her return.  She hopes the campus will open, as she considers Boston a place of growth. “There are so many different types of people. You’d never see that here in a million years. The experience of Boston can’t be replicated anywhere else.”