Originally published in Chalkbeat
My name is Amelia Federico, I’m a senior at DSST: Byers High School in Denver, and, like many of you, my life has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
I was hanging out with some friends after school on March 12 when I received the message that we wouldn’t have school again until April 6. At that time, I was honestly excited for a break. As a senior in high school, I was dealing with preparing for AP tests, making decisions about my future, and participating in clubs and extracurriculars. Trying to balance all of that comes with a lot of stress and anxiety. In fact, many students live in a world of consistent pressure and anxiety, which is undoubtedly a factor contributing to the relatively high suicide rates among Colorado teens.
Those three weeks turned out to be much more difficult than I anticipated. But I told myself that I could mentally do three weeks.
