COVID-19 has presented enormous challenges beyond what we could’ve ever fathomed. When senior Michelle Jimenez discovered she would have to move across the country during a pandemic, she braced herself for the biggest challenge yet to come.

“At first I was mostly fine with the realization of moving,” said Jimenez, “I thought senior year was already on a bad track with COVID-19.”

Jimenez’s oldest sister had just moved from Japan back to the United States, and while she was happy, she knew that ultimately meant that they would be moving too. Her sister has four young boys and her husband was on deployment, meaning she would need a lot more help around the house. 

“It’s really great to live with my other sister again since it’s been so long since we lived in the same house, and I also get to spend time with my nephews,” said Jimenez. “They can be pretty loud and sometimes overwhelming, but it’s still very nice to be with family I haven’t seen in person for years.”

Jimenez’s second oldest sister Gail Jimenez helped them move, and described the experience as bittersweet.

“I was happy that my parents were moving to a place where the weather was warmer and they could have the chance to be with their grandchildren and see them grow, but I was also sad because it meant being away from my younger sibling; seeing her graduate high school and being there for her at one of her memorable moments in life was something I was looking forward to,” said Gail Jimenez.

Gail and Michelle are ten years apart, which has had its challenges over the years, but Gail wouldn’t have it any other way.

“When we were younger, I felt like there was nothing we could relate to. We fought ALL the time. When I was 12, Michelle was 2, so there was nothing we found we could relate to other than food and even that was a challenge on most days,” said Gail Jimenez. “But now that I’m 29 and Michelle is 18, we have more things in common such as sharing clothes, movies we love to binge on, and we even love the same food! Of course we still have those days where we fight every now and then, but honestly it really is like that saying about your sister being your best friend, I consider Michelle to be one of my best friends now.”

Moving to California has also meant Michelle had to leave Salem, which has proven to have its ups and downs.

“Transitioning to a new school while doing online learning was kind of stressful because I didn’t have any idea what my teachers would be like or if I’d take the same classes or anything,” said Michelle Jimenez. “My new school looked pretty great from what I briefly saw when I was registering and my teachers are all nice; however, figuring out how things around here work caused me to procrastinate a lot more and feel overwhelmed more often.”

After being in California for several months now, Michelle Jimenez realizes that her friends back in Virginia Beach are one of the things she misses the most.

“I knew I would miss my friends a lot and that it would’ve been easier to finish high school at Salem, but it didn’t truly hit me until the night before our flight,” said Jimenez. “I realized I wouldn’t be able to see my closest friends as often anymore and I just broke down. I was so heartbroken and I still get sad because I miss them so much.

Jimenez wishes that she hadn’t moved only two months into her senior year, and that she could have graduated with her friends at Salem. She also misses not having the opportunity to apply for leadership workshop and being in FACS.

Gail Jimenez also misses many things about having her parents and sister close by.

“What I miss about having Michelle close by is the days we spent going to Starbucks and Ross,” said Gail Jimenez. “I miss having her close by when I wanted a sister to hang out with. I miss how I could just drive ten minutes and we could either eat and watch movies or both,. What I miss about my parents is having them so close by- I definitely took some of their last days here for granted.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also made her move a bit different than what a typical move would be like.

“Because of COVID, even though I’ve lived in California for almost four months now, I haven’t even really familiarized myself with the place or anything mostly. But I can’t complain about the weather and scenery, or the food,” said Jimenez. “I also never thought I’d get to live right next to a valley and see so many mountains close by. It’s a really nice change in scenery.”

Additionally, Jimenez recognizes opportunity in her new situation.

“I’ve always wanted to live in California since I like the weather there and I’ve also always wanted to go to college there. It is a positive to be able to live in the state with my dream colleges,” said Jimenez.

Jimenez’s friend senior Jericho Jimenez also recognized this opportunity for her.

“When Michelle told me she was moving I immediately felt happy for her,” said Jimenez, “I felt like there was a lot more opportunity in California for her and it would be a great place for her to go to college there.

She hopes to attend community college and then transfer to a University of California to study computer science or film studies.

Even though the move was a huge life change, Jimenez is not shaken by it.

“My advice for anyone moving for whatever circumstance and reason is this: moving might seem overwhelming, especially when you’ve lived in one place for a long time and are going far away, but there will be a bright side and it’ll all work out in the end,” said Jimenez, “And even if it doesn’t, you’re not going to be there forever. Besides, sometimes it’s nice to have a fresh start and it’s not like you’ll stay in one place your whole life.”