I faced a mandatory quarantine for the first time in mid-March when Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a stay-at-home order. My family took it with a grain of salt and headed to our happy place, a place where I have spent every summer of my life since I was two years old: Charlevoix, Michigan. 

Since I left my home in the Chicago suburbs, I have been faced with many challenges resulting from the ever-evolving decisions made by the government, public health officials and Fordham University. 

On July 28, it hit me that attending Fordham was going to come faster than originally anticipated. If Michigan continued to show an increase in COVID-19 cases, I would be left with just under two weeks to find a space to quarantine in New York state. Otherwise, I would have to start my college career completely online and at home. 

Fordham, like most colleges and universities, was struggling to find the right balance between providing the education that the Fordham community expects while protecting the health and safety of students and faculty. 

Since the state of New York requires visitors from most states in the Midwest to quarantine upon arriving in the state for 14 days, my family and I were concerned Michigan could be added to the list. I did not want to find myself in a position of only being able to study online, and decided that the best solution was to arrange a place to quarantine in New York.

The Fordham hoodie, which I have worn all summer, acted as my safeguard and got recognized more than I was expecting. An old woman asked me if I was going back to school. Not only am I “going back to school,” but I am beginning a new chapter of my life with a never-before-required 14-day quarantine.

Two weeks before my quarantine period, I got to work. I located another incoming freshman, Roberto Lugones, Fordham College Rose Hill ’24, to quarantine with. We made flight arrangements, found a place in New York to stay for two weeks and figured out our tentative move-in dates assigned by the university. 

So, on Aug. 8, I left northern Michigan in my Fordham hoodie and ventured to the city of my future, hoping to remain COVID-19 free.  

As I found myself stressed getting ready to fly during the pandemic, I realized that it was all about not letting down my guard. I knew that the minute I quit paying attention or being careful would be the time that I would catch the infectious airborne virus. With sufficient personal protective equipment and my Fordham hoodie, I headed to the gate in Traverse City, Michigan.  

When I flew through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, I found that social distancing was not exactly being enforced at 8 a.m. on a Saturday. Wearing my mask and latex gloves, I preserved and dodged every human that I could, keeping at least 6 feet away from everyone.  

The Fordham hoodie, which I have worn all summer, acted as my safeguard and got recognized more than I was expecting. An old woman asked me if I was going back to school. Not only am I “going back to school,” but I am beginning a new chapter of my life with a never-before-required 14-day quarantine, I told her. We started talking about college and all the fun it would be. 

The old woman was not the only encounter I had with my Fordham hoodie. Upon arrival in New York, a state travel coordinator asked if I was going to school. As I nodded my head and simultaneously said yes, smiling under my mask, she said, “Fordham is a great school; I wish you the best.”

Finally, I met Roberto in person and, as we waited for an Uber to pick us up, a man behind us asked, “Do you guys go to Fordham?” I told him that we were incoming freshmen and he introduced us to his son, also a member of the Fordham Class of 2024. At Fordham, I know I will have the opportunity to meet all different kinds of people from all across the country and perhaps international students.

As soon as Roberto started to talk in fluent Spanish to our lost Uber driver, I reflected on my exhausting day of travel. The adventure had begun and, while a 14-day quarantine was not at the top of my list, it felt good to be in New York, and I was happy with my decision to attend Fordham. Regardless of where the next couple of weeks take me, I have learned that there is always a home at Fordham for the incoming Class of 2024.