Coronavirus Journal

Hello everyone!
My name is Chasity Drue, and I am a sophomore at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. I
know that we have all had our mental health affected by the pandemic, whether positive or
negative. I have decided to do this project for the National Women’s History Museum because I
have always been curious about how the coronavirus has affected individuals personally.
Therefore, I was excited to do this project to see people’s different perspectives, as each
person’s coronavirus story is different from mine. Nevertheless, I want you to connect with my
mental health journey before the pandemic at high school, before I went to Cottey College, and
after I went to Cottey College.
First, I want to talk about how my mental health was before my school shut down.
Before my high school shut down senior year, my mental health was not excellent. I was
particularly depressed throughout my senior year, primarily because of the insane amount of
homework I completed every day. Because I was completing homework several hours a day, I
never had time to relax or practice my hobbies.
Therefore, I was excited to finally have time to rest when my school shut down, as the school
decided not to do online classes. My school came up with an alternative to online classes. For
one month, at the beginning of each week, my teachers would email me work, and I would turn it
back in at the end of each week. Since I would work without classes throughout the day, my
depressed state improved, knowing that I would not have to cram anything in.
Next, I want to talk about my mental health before I went to Cottey College.
After I graduated from high school, my mental health was excellent because my burnout was
gone. I was excited to relax and do everything I was not able to during school at home. When it
came to keeping connections with friends, it was easy for me because they lived in my area, and
we could eat outside of restaurants and hang out. I also managed not to be highly bored while I
was at home.
However, during the second half of summer break, my mental health worsened. I ran out of
things that kept my boredom away, and I could not connect with my friends as much since there
was a surge of cases in my area. Around this time, I was also getting ready to go to Cottey.
Therefore, my excitement about finally going to Cottey helped me get through the boredom I had
for the rest of summer break.
Next, I want to talk about my mental health while at Cottey College.
During my freshman year at Cottey, I experienced a rise in my mental health. Although
aspects of the college were shut down, I was happy to be able to socialize with others and not be
bored. Therefore, the best part of this experience for me was being able to make new friends.
This helped my mental health stabilize throughout the school year.
Currently, Cottey College is going well for me in my sophomore year of being at this
institution. My mental health is excellent, and I have made many new friends. Ultimately, I thank
the college for having a positive effect on my mental health during the pandemic.
To conclude, I have discussed my mental health in high school, before Cottey, and after
Cottey. I have hoped that everyone here has connected with my mental health journey
throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Sincerely,
Chasity Drue