What ChathamU Has Learned From 2020
2020 has been a monumental year for the Chatham community and world alike. It brought with it a need for resiliency that our students, faculty, and staff have taken in stride. Although 2020 has brought many challenges, it has also encouraged growth and learning through these tough times. Read on to learn what 2020 has taught some members of our community and what they’ll be leaving behind to enter the new year with hope and optimism.
Claire Raines ‘22
“It has taught me to be resilient and not lose hope when things start to go unplanned. I will hopefully leave behind my perfectionist mindset and inability to be flexible. I look forward to learning to grow in this new way of life and learn how to care for others in my community because we can only get through this if we work together.”
Heather Black, Dean of Students
“2020 has taught me patience and the importance of listening to others. I think it is important that we are all patient with ourselves and our family, friends, and others as we navigate our daily lives. This has been a hard year and we never know what someone else is experiencing, especially for folks of color. I have a lot of privilege and I try to remember that as hard as 2020 has been for me, the hatred in our world directed at people of color is overwhelming. We need to remember we can never understand someone else’s experience and it is critical we listen, believe, and do better.”
Allie Azzarello ‘23
“I’ve learned that there are more important things going on than your own issues and that you shouldn’t take things for granted. I’m going to try to leave behind the mindset that I need to please everyone and need to be in control of everything.”
President Dr. David Finegold
“The power of resilience: we were faced with three simultaneous crises – the pandemic, deep divisions in our society and economy, and the accelerating impacts of climate change – and managed to come through them and complete a successful term because of the great efforts and mutual support of our faculty, staff and students. While I think we’re going to be facing a tough Winter, I’m hopeful that the same strong community that got us through the Fall will enable us to persevere until we have vaccines widely available and can resume something approaching “normal” life at Chatham. When we return to that new normal, I’m hopeful we can retain some of the practices that have worked well during this pandemic – i.e. virtual registration and alumni sessions enabling us to connect with folks who can’t come to campus, virtual mental health & wellness support option for our off-campus and online students.”
James Lavacca ‘22
“I’ve learned to say I love you to the people that need to hear it most. I will be leaving behind taking people for granted.”
Dr. Carrie Tippen, Assistant Professor of English
“I learned that I’ve created so many ways to cope with stuff mostly by ignoring it but they kept me from really exploring what was emotionally happening in my life. So, I returned to therapy and I think everyone should go to therapy honestly. So, if I’m going to leave anything behind, I think it’s going to be the idea of perfection. I’ve done a lot of making do this year.”
Landon Dawson ‘21
“It’s taught me that it’s ok to be struggling with mental health. I think a lot of people have realized this and have been a lot more accommodating, although it is disheartening that it took a pandemic to realize that. I’m going to be easier on myself in the new year and recognize that it’s ok to not be ok sometimes.”
Dr. Deborah DeLong, Associate Professor of Marketing
“I learned to not sweat the incidental temporary little things at the expense of more enduring and profoundly important things. Maybe the best thing that I can say about this fall is our collective willingness to adapt practices and mindsets to accommodate continuous change. We all benefit from a more resilient community that embraces rather than resists challenges, as we have this year and ideally will continue to do moving forward.”
Lydia Newlin ‘22
“Stubbornness will keep you at the same place your entire life, with no room for you to grow. We need hear other people when they’re speaking, and ACT when we need to act.”
Thank you ChathamU for all your hard work and resiliency this past year. We can’t wait to see what the new year brings. In the meantime, get some rest, and stay safe!