2020: the year no one will ever forget. This exhausting year of nonstop events will go down in history. There have been many challenges throughout 2020 where unity has been an important topic. Throughout the year, many life-changing events have occurred such as the death of Kobe Bryant, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Presidential election, racial injustice, and the cancellation of competitive sports. This year has brought great terror to many people, but throughout the year, people have learned to appreciate what they have. 

Additionally, the year contained a series of unfortunate events, with one of them being the death of Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant, NBA legend and soon-to-be Hall of Famer, died in a helicopter crash on January 26th along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna on the way to her basketball game. Kobe’s death this early into 2020 had set a foundation for the year to come. When asked about Kobe’s death, Nate Hayes ‘22 said, “I was so shocked when I heard the news and so was the entire sports world. He was one of a kind.” The death of Kobe Bryant has had a huge impact on the entire world for his influence on and off the court.

Not to mention, the word of the year “Coronavirus.” The pandemic has brought great distress to everyone’s lives. The greatest challenge of 2020 is voted to be the coronavirus pandemic affecting so many lives. Between the guidelines, virtual schooling, cancellation of sports, and wearing masks, everyone is over the virus. In the words of Eli Altmeyer ‘22, “the 15 day lockdown which was the start of the whole coronavirus, stands out to me because I never knew this virus would last for so long and have so many impacts on my life.” Eli is joined by many other people when he said he had no idea the virus would last for so long. The coronavirus pandemic is something no one will ever forget. 

Notably, the 2020 Presidential election, was an election to never forget. Between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democrat nominee Joe Biden, this election had the highest voter turnout in history. Early voting happened including mail-ins due to the pandemic, and accusations of voter fraud followed. Just like the year as a whole, the election was different from other past elections. When the election was brought to attention to Neos Karides ‘22, he said these words about the election: “This election was very different, between the mail-in ballots and highest voter turnout, I would have never expected this.” The 2020 election was one to remember.

With this in mind, one big topic in 2020 was the idea of racial injustice. After the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, people have decided to step up and speak out against racial injustice. Specifically, the organization Black Lives Matter focuses primarily on dangers within black lives. The idea of race has split many relationships apart this year which caused some division in society. Many people have powerful views, such as Eli Altmeyer ‘22 who said, “The color of your skin, preferred sexuality, preferred political party, or anything has no effect on whether or not you are a good person in my eyes.” Eli’s words are inspirational where he wants to unite all people regardless of physical appearance.

Nonetheless, a sensitive subject in the sports world is the cancellation of all competitive sports. Now, most sports are back to normal with many restrictions; however, in the main part of the pandemic, all competitive sports had been canceled at one point. Many huge sports events had been canceled or postponed such as the 2020 Olympics that affected the entire world. When in sports talk, Nate Hayes ’22 explained, “I never knew something could cancel all competitive sports. Seeing this happen is still so unreal to me, although I am glad to see many sports resuming.” Nate emphasizes the fact that sports are beginning to go back to normal with the exception of fans, but he thinks that it is better than no sports whatsoever. 

In essence, 2020 was one for the books. Between the start of COVID-19, cancellation of all competitive sports, racial injustice, Kobe Bryant’s death, and the 2020 election, this year has been one chaotic year. Throughout the year, many challenges were introduced, but now the focus is on making 2021 a better year. 2020 was definitely a curveball but was a great learning experience due to all the challenges faced throughout the year.