Looking back , looking forward a year after COVID

Columbia is worth the wait for this CLHS grad

by Marianne Gasaway

One year ago Lydia Futrell was standing before the 2020 Clear Lake High School graduating class joking about the “worst senior year ever,” but she was optimistic all of that was about to change.   “I believe that we are going to go out and make the future that we envisioned a reality,” she declared.

The excitement was palatable.  At least for a little while. 

“Five days before I was going to leave for school everything changed,” explained Lydia.  “I ended up completing my freshman year of college on-line, primarily from my bedroom.”

That’s a far cry from the reality she had envisioned. 

The Governor’s Scholar Award winner, who finished at the top of her class, had been accepted at a prestigious Ivy League school.  She was looking forward to challenging herself studying earth and environmental engineering at Columbia University while still finding time to explore New York City.  In her mind it would be the perfect blend of academia by day with occasional Broadway lights by night.

Lydia had never actually been to Columbia— or New York City for that matter, but that was the dream.  She was impressed by the school when introduced at a college fair held in Des Moines and decided to see if she would be selected.

“I had been accepted into a program and they were paying to fly me out in April 2020.  Everything got cancelled when New York’s COVID numbers kept rising.”

Unfortunately, history repeated itself last fall. 

Steve and Alice Futrell had rented a motorhome to transport their daughter to school.  That way they could quarantine in New York, which was mandatory before stepping foot on the Columbia campus.  They had all but pulled out of the drive when the school cancelled all in-person classes for Fall 2020.  So when the school year began, Lydia was sitting in front of her computer in Clear Lake, Iowa.  Her only view of the campus came courtesy of a Google Street View search.  She was attending classes on Zoom and working on group projects into the wee hours of the morning because her partner was in Beijing, China.

“It could have been better,” said Lydia about her freshman year.  “I’m

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still not used to classes on Zoom.  It is hard to stay engaged and pay attention.  They’ve done a pretty good job presenting the content and I think the quality of the education is the same, but it’s not a real college experience.  It’s very isolating.”

Despite the fact that Lydia was not on campus, the cost of her education was the same as being there.

“Did I question enrolling somewhere else?  Yes.  Columbia was the only Ivy League school that didn’t bring freshmen on campus and that was disappointing.  But it was my dream school and I don’t have too much regret,” she said.  She noted that teachers were considerate when administering tests, usually giving a 24-hour window for it to be completed.  

“Columbia is known for its rigorous academics, but it’s even a little harder than I thought it would be.  Teachers are trying their best to help students by keeping office hours and making themselves available.  There are on-line tutoring sessions, resources and study groups, but multi-variable calculus is difficult in person, let alone on-line,” said Lydia.  “I feel like I lost a year of college.  It’s been a blur with a lot of the same thing everyday.  It’s harder to connect with groups and make relationships because it’s hard to find reasons to talk to people in my classes online.  I also feel like I missed out on a lot of things happening in New York City and I am jealous of that.”

If fall 2021 classes would have been on-line only, Lydia  said she probably would take a semester off, or transfer.  However, it doesn’t appear that will happen.

Earlier this month she and her parents, Alice and Steve, flew to New York for their first visit to the campus.  Lydia enrolled in a summer term which has her taking two classes for seven weeks in May and June. One of the classes has an in-person discussion, which she says she is enjoying; the rest of her work is virtual.    She will come home to Clear Lake before returning in the fall for her sophomore year.  

In preparation for her move away from home— and more so to break up a lackluster first year out of high school, Lydia spent a few months in Iowa City living with her cousin and getting a change of scenery.  

She feels ready to make the future she envisioned a reality.

“I am expecting everything to be normal in the fall.  Hopefully I will have roommates and classes to go to everyday.  Acceptance to Columbia was too big of an opportunity to turn down,” she said.

This story is part of a series looking back and forward after a year of COVID.

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