COVID-Related Setbacks Fail to Limit Student’s Passion for King’s

| Photos courtesy of Lydia White, Kiera Williams and Tamia Dunlap

College students across the world have found themselves in unexpected situations. Some have had to take a step back and re-evaluate: Should I take a break from college? Is paying the same tuition to teach myself all of this information a good investment? Other students have desperately been hoping to get back to learning, but their campuses have remained closed. 

COVID-19 is currently threatening college completion for millions of students, and cost is a major determining factor.  The number of high school graduates enrolling in college is down 21 percent, compared to last year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.  

 Students across the country have faced financial hardship during the pandemic bringing about a need for help to complete their academic education.  

“I wasn't here in the fall because my financial situation changed a lot which is also connected to my relationship with my parents,” Lydia White, a sophomore at The King’s College, said.

 White is an example of a student who stayed persistent during the pandemic and understands the importance of academics. Like many other students in the U.S., White took a semester off in the fall of 2020 when the pandemic seemed to be getting worse. White, a member of the House of Corrie ten Boom, has sacrificed so much to pursue her education and shows no signs of abandoning her monumental goals.

Reflecting on her decision, White seemed disheartened by missing out on a semester, but remains hopeful for her remaining years at King’s. 

 “I would have had to take out $10 thousand at the last minute,” said White. “[The break] sets me a semester behind. I have been planning on taking summer classes to make it up and take a six-class semester to try to graduate in the summer of 2023 again.” 

The pandemic has caused students of all ages to participate in some aspect of online learning. The online learning market in the United States is set to grow by $21.64 billion between 2020 and 2024 according to Business Wire. 

Despite schools re-opening, some students are still taking all of their courses online due to lack of financial support, personal learning preference, or some other circumstance.

“I lost my home and job because of COVID-19, so I was forced to relocate,” Kiera Williams, a Junior at King’s majoring in Media, Culture and the Arts said. “Fortunately, some friends opened up their home to me.”

Williams hopes to be on campus next semester but signed up for online courses as a precautionary measure for flexibility. A big challenge students face in remote learning is isolation and self-motivation.

“I was originally very excited about living in New York and allowing myself the whole college experience,” Tamia Dunlap, a freshman at King’s in the house of Clara Barton said. Dunlap had to adjust to the time zone being one hour behind.

 “I am very much a person who has to move around and be active but being remote has forced me to really be stuck in one place in my room,” said Williams. “I have had a very difficult time looking at my computer for 40 hours a week between six classes, a volunteer role, and a few other extracurriculars.”

The King’s College draws students from all around the world, and despite their differences, find their niche in the small evangelical, liberal arts school.

 “A friend of mine graduated from King’s and gave it a gleaming recommendation,” Williams said. 

 White was not sure if she would attend college after high school, but after coming to King’s, she set herself on a different path. 

 “I wasn't sure I wanted to go to school. I was thinking I would pursue continuing my education in other ways,” White said. “I read a book called Wordsmithy and it talks about bulking up your writing capabilities and in it [the author] says that it is good to get a liberal arts degree.”

 This book began to change her way of thinking about college, resulting in her applying to King’s as her only college.

 “I was just hoping it would work out,” White said. “I had never been to the city until move-in day and I couldn't believe how much I loved this school, the community and friendships.”

 Dunlap chose to attend the college because of its overall commitment to Christianity. 

“What initially drew me to the school was the Politics, Philosophy and Economics major in which I considered three of my favorite topics as a senior in high school,” Dunlap said. 

King’s students hope to pursue their goals and post-graduation plans. Williams said she has always wanted to work in the film industry.

“I love creative direction and modeling and photography and film making,” Williams said. “I would love to be making films, but I will likely have to improvise especially with Covid guidelines.”

 Dunlap wants to utilize her degree in Journalism, Culture and Society upon graduating to start a newspaper and media outlet for Christian young adults. She also aspires to be an author and write a political philosophy book as well as other Christian books throughout her career. 

“I intend to use my platform to spread Christ’s love, present intelligent apologetics, and hopefully, help to reform culture back to being Christ-centered,” Dunlap said. 

White’s goal after graduation is to work as an editor and continue her education. 

“I’d like to study at Oxford for a semester, maybe my final semester,” White said. “Kings has a program where students can go for a semester to Oxford and get credits; it's a partnership they have.”

Right after graduation, White aspires to be an editor and attend graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in English. 

 “I know we're in a weird economic climate because of [COVID-19] and everything so as long as I can find a relatively okay job, I am good with that, but I would love to be editing,” White said. “After a year or so, I'm still pretty fuzzy on the timeline, I’d like to go back to grad school to get my master’s in English and teach at a collegiate level.”