“I was stressed because my dad has cancer and he’s older and at a higher risk.” Posted on November 9, 2021August 23, 2023 by Elizabeth Charney Maggie Kelnhofer is a senior majoring in psychology and minoring in counseling at UW-Milwaukee. She talked to Elizabeth Charney about pandemic stress, and fear for her father, who has cancer. (Elizabeth Charney): When you found out for the first time that classes were going to be back in-person how did you feel? (Maggie Kelnhofer): I was both excited and anxious to be back on campus. I felt like I was finally in school again because having classes online didn’t even feel real. Going back to campus made me feel like a real student again. But, I was anxious because I didn’t know how many people were going to be vaccinated, if people were going to be wearing masks, or just following the rules for this semester in general. (Elizabeth Charney): Were you nervous for yourself or was it for another reason? (Maggie Kelnhofer): I was stressed because my dad has cancer and he’s older and at a higher risk. So being back in-person and not knowing how people were going to treat this semester was a big stressor. (Elizabeth Charney): Did that affect how often you saw your parents, especially your dad? (Maggie Kelnhofer): Yeah, my dad is vaccinated, but throughout the entire pandemic I was afraid to see or even be around him because I was scared that I would give it to him. Not only am I on campus now, but I’m also in the service industry everyday. So not knowing what people on campus are going to be doing made it difficult to want to see him. I didn’t want to risk his safety. (Elizabeth Charney): So going into your first week at campus how were you feeling? (Maggie Kelnhofer): It felt so surreal and I was curious to see how things were going to be different when being back. I kept thinking “are people going to be wearing masks? Are there going to be any arguments that break out?”. It’s so polarizing and political. I have kids in a couple of my classes who are either wearing their mask under their chin or not even wearing one at all. It makes me feel more anxious and a little angry. (Elizabeth Charney): What else changed for you personally during the pandemic that made it hard for you when going back to in-person? (Maggie Kelnhofer): I’m shy and would call myself an introvert, but I never had problems with social interactions. I noticed that my ability to make “small talk” with people that I don’t know has diminished. I feel significantly more awkward when I’m talking to someone because I lost that skill. Its even hard with people I hadn’t seen in over a year, who I really care about. During the pandemic you wanted to stay in contact with everyone you knew because you couldn’t run into them on campus, but it felt exhausting. (Elizabeth Charney): Starting the pandemic you were a sophomore, now returning to campus you’re a senior. Does it feel weird to be graduating as soon as you are? (Maggie Kelnhofer): I think that’s been one of the hardest things for me to grasp. In some ways I feel like I’m still a sophomore because time didn’t feel like it passed. It’s very overwhelming to be thinking that I will be graduating. (Elizabeth Charney): Have any of your plans changed for after you graduate? (Maggie Kelnhofer): I had originally planned on going to grad school right after college. Then, after the pandemic I decided that I wanted to take a gap year so I can slow down and just experience life. I just feel like a year of my life has been taken away from me in some aspects. (Elizabeth Charney): What’s something you wished you would have known going into the pandemic as a college student? (Maggie Kelnhofer): I think it would have been nice for someone to tell me to take one day at a time and that everything was going to be okay. I think I put too much pressure on myself during the pandemic by worrying constantly Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)