Annie Cozens
Ridgefield High School/Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield
Hometown: Ridgefield, CT
What have you have been doing during this time? I have been doing A LOT of school work, and spending a majority of my time facing the computer. I’m essentially finished with my senior year of high school which is very exciting! I’ve also been a part of the virtual programming activities conducted by the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield, where we are also still having our weekly Keystone Club meetings through Zoom! Besides that, I have been spending a lot of time redecorating my room and the house, cleaning the dishes, and spending time with my cats!
What are your personal highlights and lowlights of this time? Surprisingly enough, there have been a lot of highlights from the quarantine. On April 23rd, I was announced the 2020 Youth of the Year of the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield. Though sad that we weren’t able to host this dinner in person, it was still a great night and I’m very thankful to have achieved this honor. With this award, I was able to go on and compete in the State Competition (virtually, of course!). It was a very interesting experience having to do an interview through Zoom, but I’m very happy I could represent our Club! Along with this, I committed to the University of Rhode Island where I’m planning on studying Clinical Interdisciplinary Neuroscience along with Communicative Disorders!
There have for sure been a few lowlights of this time. Not being able to live out my senior year has been hard, specifically not being able to work at the Club and live out all the experiences of being a senior at the Boys & Girls Club. I’m thankful to still have the chance to be a part of a lot of virtual ceremonies, but I will miss the chance of getting to have our senior prom and [a traditional] graduation in person, along with seeing all the Club kids and my friends in person.
Are there any changes or introductions you’ve made to your life that you plan to hang on to once ‘normalcy’ resumes? Quarantine has actually made me become very organized! If you asked anyone in my family, they would immediately say that I’m probably the messiest child/sibling. With having online school, though, I’ve had to learn to budget my time as a lot of my assignments were long term. As a person who has NEVER been organized, I’m shocked to see myself even using a planner (and that I’m keeping my room clean!). I’ve also been getting my work done a lot quicker. I’m thankful since this is a skill I’ll need going into college in the months to come.
If you had to describe this time in one word … ? Overwhelming.
