Insight from GOAL student Mya Williams

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Photo used with permission from Mya Williams

Senior Mya Williams logs off of her last Zoom class of the day and begins her homework.

“I went to school the first two weeks and then I switched to being a GOAL student just because I like being at Mercy, and I like the hybrid schedule, but I just felt more safe in my own home and I didn’t want to risk it anymore. So I just decided it would be best for me if I stayed at home. [Factors involved were] mostly just not feeling safe and my health issues because I have asthma. I also have sickle cell [anemia], so I have a compromised immune system; it would not be good if I were to get sick. And I just felt like this would be really good for me. It’s been going good being a GOAL student; I like it for the most part. But there are some challenges that come with being a GOAL student. As far as keeping in touch with people, it’s really hard. I keep in touch with people online, I might text my friends or FaceTime them, or even as far as teachers I get help with them outside of school with Zoom. But as far as meeting people in person or hanging out with people, I haven’t done that at all.

I would say two things have been the most difficult about being online. The first thing is missing being in class with your peers. I really enjoy, for example, my AP government class. I really like that class. I liked being in person, but now that I’m at home I feel kind of isolated from them. Also being a GOAL student, there’s a lack of motivation sometimes. I’m online all day and then when the school day ends I want to relax or do whatever, but I have homework to do, I have stuff to do, and it’s hard to get back into that when I’ve been online all day. So I feel like the motivation is lacking sometimes.

I’m still an HRC rep, I’m still in all the school activities that I was in before. Actually I still participate physically in some of those. For example, I just went up to school last week for a BASE meeting and it’s because when I go up for those clubs it’s only a few people, it’s not that big of a deal. But in school, the main concern for me is hallway traffic. So I still participate in all the activities that I’ve been in, so that’s good. 

If someone’s concerned about their safety or they don’t feel safe at school, I would really recommend being a GOAL student, even though at times you can feel isolated; overall I really think it’s a positive thing. It just depends on the type of person you are, but it’s been really good for me and it’s calmed me down a lot because I would be really anxious in school, so it’s been good for me.”