Due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19, Mansfield ISD has closed for the rest of the academic year, and the seniors are now missing out on their last days of high school while being concerned about the pandemic.

“The situation is becoming increasingly more serious,” senior Bushra Shoaib said. “I never expected it to become such a global, large scale issue.”

As this pandemic becomes more serious, seniors are realizing things they never expected.

“I didn’t expect COVID-19 virus to get to the US or even blow up as much as it did,” senior Aniah Matthews said. “It opened my eyes to how dirty and unclean we are as a whole.”

The virus has created a sense of anxiety and worry among the senior class.

“I am getting worried seeing all these people that aren’t taking this seriously,” Shoaib said. “I understand people that need to leave their homes for work and other important things, but there’s so many young people who are putting everyone at risk.”

Some students have personal worries, especially for their elders.

“One of the people I live with is highly susceptible to contracting this virus,” senior Donovan Neal said. “[It] is becoming increasingly scary because people at her age are dying before they can even rush them to the hospital.”

The virus has heavily impacted the senior class of 2020, creating a sense of anxiety and despair among the graduating class.

“It’s saddening for the lot of us who have been looking forward to closing out our entire high school experience and this chapter of our lives with a bang,” senior Trina Lee said. “I feel hopeless as this situation is out of our control and essentially our hands are tied.”

One of the most important milestones in many high schoolers’ careers is now being ruptured due to the abrupt circumstances.

“I feel like I’m about to miss out on the thing I’ve been looking forward to for the last 12 years of [my] public education,” Lee said.