Editor’s note: This story was originally written to be published in Vol. 61, Issue 1 of Knight Writers. This final product is slightly different than the one in the print issue, yet retains the same interviewees and purpose.

While COVID has dialed down a bit, kids who are virtual are still getting used to academic isolation from others. They have more time to themselves and to decorate their rooms. Virtual kids have had the struggles of sitting in one spot all day, so when they do have time to themselves, they accessorize their bedroom to feel cozy and comfortable.

Their rooms represent who they are as a person and their creativity. Each room varies on student’s different interests.

“I used to keep it pretty simple, now I change it a lot…. my interests change a lot,” Reese Paul (’23) said.”It’s more like me than it was before.”

While some get really unique and change their rooms, often some don’t even restyle their room at all for as long as they’ve been living in their respected house. These students prefer to keep it simple and effortless.

“Well it’s kinda been the same for the past three years, I need to put some posters up. I had them in a box I got from the book fair, I was going to put them up with everything,” Logan Cammarano (’23) said.

Some things in students’ rooms stick out and mean a lot to them. Whether it’s something as valuable as an old souvenir to something as simple as their own desk, it’s something they keep with them everywhere they live and never lose.

“One thing that means a lot is my baby picture I have,” Amani Doty (’23) vocalized. “Another thing that’s probably my favorite part of my room is my desk I sit-in every day.”

Sometimes there’s not much in peoples’ rooms, but it’s the things that mean the most that are included. A student’s room represents them as who they are and how they express themselves as people. It’s like they live in their own imagination.

“My window sill has plants on it and there’s a couple of funko pops and art,” Paul mentioned. “I like to help people a lot if I can, I’m pretty good at keeping things alive which could represent the plants.”

COVID-19 has given people an eye-opening perspective to the world and many things they can work on, especially their rooms. It has given kids a new view on their creativity and originality, keeping them productive while taking their minds off of what’s going on for a few minutes.