By Meridyth Sanders ‘21, co-editor in chief
For seniors, this last year of school has been a rollercoaster of unusual circumstances and trying to find some new level of “normal” while still facing the reality of entering the workforce or graduate school amidst a global pandemic.
Senior biology major Kaitlyn Welch was upended by COVID-19 as it completely reconstructed her final swim season and gave her decision to enter the medical field a newfound sense of importance as well as risk.
The swim team’s traditional winter season was pushed back last fall, as all sports under the NCAA were suspended until spring semester of 2021.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to have any real meets against other teams,” Welch said. “The only meets we have had so far are among our own team. It is really nice because it allows us to practice racing and swimming our events before championships in April. However, it is difficult not having another team to race against, so it is more difficult to get in the meet mindset and push yourself.”
Additionally, in compliance with LVC’s rule on spectators for sporting events, visitors and families are not permitted to come to the swim team’s meets.
“It has also been a shame that my parents are not able to come and watch, since that is something they try to do every meet,” Welch said. “Even if it is different, though, I am glad Coach Mary is doing what she can to make this as normal as possible.”
The lack of official meets against other teams also affects a team’s ability to bond as a group, especially for a team that can no longer share a pool all together for practices. Coaches across all sports have been forced to get creative with safe, socially-distanced team bonding activities for their athletes.
“We can only have two people in a lane at a time, so instead of practicing all at once as a team, we sign up for times to go throughout the day,” Welch said. “Mary does her best to make up for this by having team bonding events outside with relay races and scavenger hunts. She also makes an effort to make fun relays for us at the meets that are a mix of different years and majors to help us meet other people, and the night before the meet we get together to create a poster to support our relay, which helps with bonding.”
Despite the strangeness of this final season, Welch has found a new silver lining to hold onto.
“On the bright side, though, because there are a lot fewer people practicing at a time, I do feel like I get to talk with Mary a lot more, and I do feel like we have become closer as a result,” Welch said.
Besides swimming, Kaitlyn is heavily invested in entering the medical field and has already been accepted into the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Although she will be entering medical school at such a tumultuous time, Welch is committed to her decision.
“COVID-19 has not really impacted my choice to attend medical school, however, it has caused me to think about medicine in a slightly different way,” Welch said. “For me, I know that my passion lies in medicine and there is nothing else I could imagine myself doing.”
Even though Welch knows all too well that the process of applying and preparing to enter medical school can be intense and overwhelming, she also encourages others following the same path to remember to make time to relax.
“The journey to medical school is not easy, and you need to work really hard to get there, but you also need to remember to prioritize yourself too,” Welch said. “Make time for friends, family and hobbies. There is always going to be something that adds stress to your life, so work on finding the balance and find time for the little things that make you happy.”
Welch will begin classes in Philadelphia in August.