In March 2021, Jewel Bancroft was an 18-year-old senior at in Newport, Maine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the school had a policy requiring students to wear masks and maintain social distancing.
As I write this, my college application is pending. I have a vaccination card in my wallet and a suitcase half-packed. In the fall, I will walk onto a campus where I will meet people who have also survived this strange, suspended animation. We will be awkward. We will be eager. We will probably forget how to talk to strangers without a screen between us, but we will try anyway. 18yearsold jewel bancroft 2021