My Struggles and Successes During COVID-19
 March of 2020 is a month I’ll never forget. One day I’m going to work as normal, and the next day I am released from my job indefinitely because of the coronavirus. Food shelves were empty, bottled water was scarce, and (for some odd reason) toilet paper had vanished. Everywhere I went in public I could see fear and panic on everyone’s face. Kids were scared, parents were frantic, and I feared for my elders. It felt like the world was ending, and I remember fear creeping into my state of mind. But then I forced myself to snap out of it - I told myself this is NOT how my world will end and I knew the only real way to make a change for myself was to go back to school.
I owed the College of Menominee Nation (CMN) just shy of $5,000 which meant I couldn’t get my official transcripts. I also couldn’t enroll at CMN with such an outstanding balance. Again, this wave of fear swept me off my feet and I almost gave up. But I realized, in that moment, that this was an opportunity to do something great. As scared as I was, I knew I had to make some serious moves to get back into school.
I made myself talk to people from CMN. I made myself seek help and direction from others. In the middle of a global pandemic, I forced myself to put in the time and effort to get my outstanding balance taken care of. In August of 2020, I was enrolled for the fall semester at CMN in, not one, but TWO programs of study. By October of 2020, my account balance was at $0.00. It is November of 2020, I have finished my fall semester with outstanding grades and I am enrolled for the upcoming spring semester. It honestly has been such a privilege and joy to attend CMN during these times.
2020 has been full of stress and worry, but it has also been a real turning point in my life. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have returned to school if it wasn’t for COVID-19. So, in a way, I’m grateful for this pandemic for it has brought out the best in me in ways that I could never have imagined and I will never forget this year.
With all of that being said, I do want to send my condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one to COVID-19. We are all in this together, and we will all be stronger because of this.
With love,
Appolonia Gomez
Peot Scholarship Fall 2020
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