Chronicle feature: Back to school during a pandemic

Myra Charles '22

is a boarding student from South Orange, New Jersey. She is a prefect in Masters Dorm, and a member of the Peddie Black Student Union and field hockey team.

Feeling connected is essential to Myra Charles. It’s what factored into her decision to return to campus this fall, though her mother voiced an eleventh-hour opinion.

“When we were in the car coming here, my mom said, ‘You know, I didn’t want you to come back. I wanted you to be remote,’” Charles grinned.

“I mean, I LOVE my family,” she added. “But I can’t get quite as much done when I’m at home.”

Charles said one of her favorite places to be is on the Peddie campus. “At Peddie, you’re constantly around your friends, so it feels like a constant support group.”

While Charles admitted that social distancing and having classmates learning virtually in different time zones has made it difficult for everyone to feel connected, she remained optimistic. “I do think that COVID has forced people to broaden their horizons a little bit and learn new things about themselves.

I can't really complain. I think we're all doing the best we can with the situation we've been dealt.”

Charles empathizes with her first- and fourth-year classmates. “I don’t know what I would do if I was a senior and didn’t get to have my final Blair Day pep rally. I’m also sad for the freshmen because they didn’t get to have POCO.”

As for Peddie’s hybrid schedule, Charles said she’s a fan. “Just for the fact that sometimes it’s easier to connect if we’re ALL online versus if some people are in person, and some people aren’t.”

Still, she prefers in-person classes. “There’s only so much you can be aware of when you’re on a screen,” she said. But Charles is also not one to grumble. “I can’t really complain,” she rationalized. “I think we’re all doing the best with the situation we’ve been dealt.”