Steven Trejos is a sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. After the coronavirus pandemic caused the 2019-2020 school year to transition online one quarter before school was scheduled to end. Trejos, like many others, had to adapt nearly every aspect of his life to accommodate the virtual world and now has a whole new routine because of it.

Getting involved in Zoom video calls for multiple classes, completing online assignments through sites like Canvas and getting accustomed to interacting virtually with teachers and classmates are all part of his transition into online school to complete the school year. 

“I’ve been trying my best to wake up at 8 [a.m.] or 9 [a.m.] for Zoom meetings [and] eat breakfast at an actual breakfast time,” Trejos said. “[The] problem is since I don’t have calls every day, I don’t have a set time when I try and go to sleep. I could wake up at 7 a.m. or 1 p.m. depending on the day.”

After finishing his Zoom calls and eating a light breakfast, usually at around 2-3 p.m., Trejos spends the next few hours on his personal computer sorting out the rest of his assignments and homework, which regularly takes him up until around 5 p.m. During that time, he either makes himself lunch or has someone bring him food, whether it be a parent or his brother Kevin, an MSD alumnus who came down from the University of Florida to stay with his family during these uncertain times.  

A welcomed adjustment for Trejos has been staying with his older brother for the first time since he left for college two years ago. While going from his mother’s to his father’s house once a week, having his brother with him again has helped Trejos immensely, from his brother cooking meals to assisting Trejos with the switch to online classes.

“There’s a lot to get used to now, I haven’t been as focused on learning as I was before,” Trejos said. “Having my brother here gives me someone to help me form a schedule and how to balance my schedule.”

After his important work is done for the day, Trejos spends most of the afternoon playing video games on his personal computer; Fortnite or Call of Duty being his favorite games at the moment. Later, he picks up on his new interest in cooking, watching YouTube videos on how to cook certain meals to make his own dinner. 

Once done eating, he either spends time with his family watching Netflix shows or just having conversations.

Being a very active person, one thing Trejos has struggled with is finding ways to exercise. Since he was a very active gym user before quarantine, finding the motivation to workout at home has been difficult for him. 

“[It is] definitely not as easy finding the time to work out, I would go to the gym at 9:30 p.m. every single day, now I don’t have 20 minutes to lift weights,” Trejos said. “There’s always something else I want to do in the house.”

In the free time he has after being with his family, which typically falls after 9-10 p.m., Trejos tries to fit in a few new activities to his routine, including completing puzzles, playing Ping-Pong with his brother or occasionally exercising.

As many students are doing nowadays, Trejos doesn’t set himself a bedtime, staying on the computer until far past midnight. This has contributed to his damaged sleep schedule since quarantine began. 

“With everyone in my house worried about the virus, it’s hard not to think about, but I’ve tried my best to just worry about what’s important and talking to my friends as much as possible,” Trejos said.

From live class meetings to a friendly game of Ping-Pong, Trejos has kept busy in quarantine, finding several ways to keep an entertaining lifestyle while forced to stay away from the outside world, and finishing a school year in the process.