Last Word: Interminable

def. endless, long, never-ending

This pandemic feels interminable. It didn’t always. In March of 2020, one full year ago, we were under the impression that with the termination of a two-week quarantine, the world would resume as planned. As students, faculty and administrators adjusted along with the rest of the world to a new reality containing virtual learning, masks and social distancing, that impression faded fast. With no end, no solution in sight, days began to meld together, and as such, the world of isolation and Zoom meetings seems permanent. But just because things appear to be absolute doesn’t mean they are.

Our way of being has changed, in a seemingly interminable manner, and as we stretch and mold ourselves to fit into our new roles in the world, our community’s perseverance and resilience are tested.

Underrepresented minorities in McKelvey, the greater WashU population and the world are accustomed to the uncomfortable process that is fitting yourself into a new world. And as we all experience the pains of isolation, Zoom fatigue and general discontent due to COVID-19, we recognize the parallels in adjustment many students face when entering an unknown schooling environment. This is a new type of resilience, but perseverance is not new. Communities of color have dealt with seemingly endless structures of oppression, and now as a greater community, we will persevere through this endless pandemic. As engineers, we are tasked with solving problems. We don’t accept things as they are, we make them better.

As our vaccine rollout reaches more in our community and the systematic racism that is interwoven into our school’s bylaws are being publicly challenged, the permanent is proven to be temporary. As we keep hope for the future, we must remember that even the most ever-fixed mark is amenable.

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