UTRGV: COVID-19

The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of many people, if not everyone. To maintain a healthy lifestyle during the pandemic, students at the University of Texas Rio Grande have learned to adapt during these difficult times.

The lives of UTRGV students have drastically changed since the spread of COVID-19 began. The Edinburg government has implemented strict curfew and gathering rules. Recreative places are closed, restaurants have no dine-in options and supermarkets are implementing social distancing. These factors have impacted students’ interpersonal relationships, their jobs and everyday life activities. Nonetheless, students are trying their best to adapt to the pandemic by using online platforms to stay in touch with their friends, using technology to work at home and staying healthy by exercising at parks.

The education system was not excluded. A lot of changes have been made these past six months to provide a safe environment where students can continue their studies.

However, these changes have been drastic and not everyone adapted, or is adapting, fast to these changing times. UTRGV students are trying their best to continue their studies and adapt their lives to stay healthy during this pandemic.

“Thigs can change from one moment to the next,” said Eloisa Soto, a senior criminal justice major. “What scares me is for the numbers [of coronavirus cases] to keep increasing.”

Soto said that her life has taken a dramatic turn over the last six months. She said always had to carry hand sanitizer and facemasks. Her relationships with her friends were also affected because she could not interact with her friends.

“I miss going out to places with a friend,” Soto said. “But I spend more time with my family now. We have our own little movie nights and we just try to play some board games if we get bored.”

Although UTRGV is taking sanitary precautions to open the university for some classes on campus, Soto is still preoccupied with the issue. She encouraged students to be careful and said they should not to put themselves in situations that might put them at risk of infection.

Unlike Soto, students like Jorge Guerrero, a senior computer engineering major at UTRGV, are focusing on getting the best out of the quarantine. They are exploring hobbies, connecting with their families or trying to improve their health by staying active.

Guerrero said although he would like to enjoy his last year at UTRGV on campus, he is also enjoying the time he has to play video games and watch movies online with friends. He has also started a new hobby- cooking.

“Ever since I started university, I started to cook,” Guerrero said. “But because of the pandemic, I went onto full chef mode. I started to cook different things every day, you know, keep it on a low budget.”

Guerrero has also been reading and trying to connect with his family more.

“I started to play more board games with my family, and like talking to my sister and we get along better now,” Guerrero said. “Overall, I am trying to improve myself because there is nothing else I could do.”

Guerrero also said that at the beginning, he didn’t feel the change in his life. It wasn’t until he noticed the small changes around him that he realized his life was changing. He said that he never expected things to get out of control but on the bright side, he has learned something meaningful from this experience.

He is now encouraging students to explore different media channels to better understanding of themselves.

“It’s like a learning experience … having an understanding of how a virus spread[s] so you can be able to take care of yourself,” he said. “Learn different things, like exploring different mediums you haven’t explored yet.”

Though students are adapting differently to the pandemic, several are trying to stay positive overall.  Taking classes online university and working has made it important for students to do so.

“There is no exact way for adaptation with this whole pandemic,” said Keyla Olmeda, a junior physical therapy major at UTRGV. “I guess you could say I stay positive in the sense of everything that is going around.”

Olmeda said she has learned to become more patient and more positive about the unknown and about what is about to come. She said during this time, it is necessary for students to take care of their mental health. She suggested riding your bike, going to the park to play sports, reading, or enjoying a hobby as ways students can stay physically and mentally healthy while social distancing and wearing a mask.

“Take care of your mental health overall. Go out for a walk, of course with your face mask,” Olmeda said. “Just breathe in, you know fresh air … enjoy each day still with a pandemic or without the pandemic.”