It feels like years ago when everyone nationwide got the news all school campuses were shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and instruction was getting moved to Zoom.

It was a weird transition for many, and for some it was a lot harder. However, there was one benefit that came out of it: Waking up five minutes prior to class and signing on. 

Now for some students, that is not an option anymore.

Allie-Jo Bradbury, current Grossmont student attending class back on campus, shared her new morning routine since being back in person.

“My morning routine is more structured now that I’m on campus,” she said. “I make sure I get up an hour before class and eat breakfast before I head to school, and I spend the day at school going to class and doing homework on the lawn.”

Bradbury continued: “As of right now, campus still isn’t 100-percent open yet, so a lot of students are still doing the ‘Zoom morning routine.’ Back when I was on Zoom I could just wake up and join the Zoom class half awake, so my day was less structured than it is now.”

Another benefit of Zoom is saving gas and not having to worry about traffic, said Grossmont student Elana Murphy.

“I didn’t realize until the second week how much gas I was saving,” Murphy said. “Between the gas and traffic and not having to stress about getting to school on time was great. Don’t get me wrong, campus life is still much more preferred, but those are the good parts about doing school from your own home.”

There may be a day when Zoom won’t be as common as it is now, but for now, it’s getting us through this hard time and offering a few benefits along the way.