Accounting sophomore Jordan Fox was already planning on going back to her home country of Australia for the summer, but her plans had to be expediated when airlines began cancelling flights due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fortunately for Fox, she was able to make it back home. Unfortunately, Fox is hardly the only student whose had their plans change as a result of Covid-19.

Like many students, Fox found her classes transferred to online. She spent her summer at home with her family, occupying her time with two online classes and virtual workouts with her swim team.

"I don't belong on dry land," says Fox, who is also a member of the WSU Swim Team. "Not being in the water for as long as I was difficult. I had so much fun here last year that I didn't want to have to go back home, so the news that I'd have to go home early upset me initially."

Fox says she initially considered staying at WSU for the summer but decided she couldn't go that long without seeing her family.

In August, Fox was finally able to return to the WSU campus, and began practicing with her team again.

"I just look forward to competing against other teams again and getting to know the freshmen on the team," she says. "We didn't get to do our fundraisers and trips this year, and those are a lot of fun and how we get to know each other, so I'm looking forward to making that up."

Also looking forward to getting in the pool is business freshman Barbara Munoz, an international student from Colombia whose arrival to WSU's campus was delayed by the pandemic. This resulted in Munoz's introduction to WSU being through online learning via Zoom, a new experience for her.

"Personally, it was a bit difficult to accommodate to the classes since the American educational system is very different from the one, I learned in Colombia," says Munoz. "I am grateful to the professors this semester as they have been very patient with the whole group since starting university is a new stage to which most of us are not used. Now I am better organized, and it is easier for me to use the platform. In addition, I have helped some classmates with some subjects and that helps me to understand the subject even better.

"For now, it seems to me the most effective and safe method depending on the circumstances. I find it very practical that Wayne State is complying with safety protocols so as not to put students at risk. Personally, I really like virtual classes and I think that the professors have been very patient when asking about a project or the platform, since for most students and teachers it has been a new method of teaching and learning."

As for keeping herself from getting bored, Munoz didn't have any trouble. "It was not difficult for me to stay busy in quarantine since I also practice swimming," she says. "Balancing academics and sports always keep you busy. Also, I used the quarantine to spend more time with my parents before going to Wayne State and to discover myself more in depth, my strengths and what I should improve to be a better person and succeed in life."

While Munoz's arrival to WSU was delayed by the pandemic, engineering freshman Michael Kill from Germany got to campus and immediately went into lockdown.

"The first day I arrive I had to stay in a hotel, and it was a really bad experience," says Kill. "Also, the move-in day was really stressful, but as soon as arrived here I felt really safe, and I really like my room in the Anthony Wayne Drive apartments. I think this is a challenging time for everyone and a lot of people didn't imagine their freshman year like this, but everyone tries its best and WSU really tries to prevent spreading the disease."

Like Fox and Munoz, this is the first time Kill has had to learn through online classes.

"It's okay," Kill says. "Often classes are nice and interesting but sometimes it also gets a little bit boring. The big problem is just, that you don't really interact with your mates and don't see them. I try to make the best out of the whole situation and being often by yourself gives me a lot of time to focus on studying.

"During quarantine I talked a lot to friends and family, and I played a lot of PS4 and watched Netflix. There's not that much to do alone in your room. In the second week classes started and started occupying my time. My man Marc Anderson, the community director of the AWD helped me every time I had some issues or needed anything else."

Kill says that when things begin opening, he's most excited to play basketball with other people and finally go to some parties. As for how the US compares to Europe, Kill says it doesn't really feel that different. "Here everything is bigger and there are a lot of fast-food restaurants," he says. "But my expectations fit the reality."

Despite the setbacks and having to get used to online learning, all three say they are satisfied with how WSU has handled the conflicts brought on by the pandemic.

"I got a lot of emails from Wayne State Health Center during the quarantine which I think helped a lot of people who needed that help," says Munoz. "It seems to me that Wayne State is a very organized university that helps promote the physical and mental health of its students."

Fox says that the Athletics department is dedicated to screening people and ensuring that everyone has masks, allowing for student athletes to work out and train without coming into contact without each other, as well as providing home workout programs.

"Wayne State has kept on top of things and kept me updated," Fox says. "They were super helpful when Trump said students with F1 visas would have to go back. They assured us they would make sure we had at least one in-person class so we could stay, that was super comforting especially for us student athletes."

Kill experienced a hardware issue shortly before his online classes were set to begin. "3 or 4 days before classes started my laptop got broken and I needed a new one," says Kill. "Unfortunately, every store near Detroit was out of stock. There was one 90 miles from the AWD but I couldn't deliver it to me because it would come after 1st September, when classes started. So, one guy of the AWD offered to drive me drive 3 hours to get the laptop, and he really did that even though he didn't know me. That was really nice."

While this semester isn't ideal for any of the students, they all have found things to be excited about and appreciate about the new experience.

"I really like Wayne State and I haven't even made it to campus," says Munoz. "I like both the teaching method and the professors; people have been very kind to me. Also, I really like that each professor is very organized in terms of work. In general, I have like everything, and I do not regret choosing Wayne State to continue my studies."

By Jacob Stocking, OIP communications associate

The Office of International Programs leads Wayne State's global engagement by creating opportunities that foster international education and research, facilitate the exchange of individuals and ideas that promote global competencies and citizenship, and provide resources that support the expansion of the university's global agenda. Follow us @WayneOIP.