Apart But Together, Wildcat Strong
At the University of Arizona, the fabric of life and community has always included interaction, discourse and play. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced adaptation and change; new ways of teaching and learning have made many examine their purpose and appreciate helping others.
Still, across campus and remotely, UArizona students remain focused on the quest to achieve lifelong dreams.
Dancers still dance, and athletes still train. Behind their masks, they have visions of the big stage and NCAA competition. Musicians still perform; there is no live audience, but there are compositions to record and symphony chairs to compete for. Artists continue to create, lending their unique perspective on the new, uncertain landscape. And a nursing student’s gift for healing is now guided by feedback from manikins. All the while, professors and coaches do their best to provide a soft landing. They see talent and still hope for its expression.
Here, we share their journeys, look for silver linings and root for University of Arizona students in their defining moments.
Graceful Resilience
Dancers like Hannah Weinmaster, a senior in the University of Arizona School of Dance, are used to dancing freely, side-by-side. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, campus dance studios bubbled with interaction as dancers glided close together, traversing in sync to choreography.
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Reimagining the High-Five
Waking at 5 a.m. for a morning lift, swim or team run. Spring and summer trainings in preparation for fall competition. Even a high-five is a habit so ingrained as to be almost automatic.
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Finding New Ways of Expression
Trent Pechon makes use of art tools in the campus studio.
Bringing new light to the mundane is the work of 3D artist and graduate student Trent Pechon. Pechon’s teaching style and art have both changed because of COVID-19. Along with his beginning sculpture students at the University of Arizona, he’s been forced to improvise.
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The Most Dangerous Instrument
Flutist Kaissy Yau fell in love with playing in an ensemble. Now, she dreams of one day performing professionally in a symphony orchestra.