Happy New Year!
I hope the new year finds you and your families happy and well! 2020 was certainly a year to remember and I, for one, was happy to see it in my rear-view mirror. The dawn of a new year has always signified hope and renewal to me. I pray it will bring hope and renewal for you and for our nation.
2020 had many defining moments. The COVID-19 pandemic was and continues to be life-altering. Many of us have lost friends and loved ones to COVID. Our daily lives have been impacted in ways we never expected. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer became hot commodities. Businesses failed but many survived. Friendships and relationships were lost yet many survived. Isolation and quarantine were all too common. Yet in the midst of this time of uncertainty and turmoil, human kindness and resiliency emerged in new and different ways.
My family welcomed a new grandson and a new great-granddaughter in 2020! We excitedly await the birth of a new grandson in April. These precious babies have brought us great joy amidst these uncertain times. We had our first (and hopefully last) virtual Christmas. We made the most of the holiday, but it was hard to not be together. Our daughter Facetimes us every evening so we can stay connected to our grandchildren. Almost every evening, our three-year-old granddaughter will say “when you come over tomorrow Gigi, we will…”. We have a running list of things she and I will do when we can visit in-person.
In just a few weeks, students will be returning to Shenandoah for the start of the spring semester. Depending on their program requirements, some students returned in January. Students could enroll in courses during J-Term, a new option for January. We should all be proud of the way Shenandoah has adapted and adjusted to the reality and impact of the pandemic.
Please stay healthy and safe! Happy New Year!
Susan Helsley
President, SU Alumni Association