By Roman Bharati

Whoa. Now that exams are over and all punishments for “surprises” on the report card are sure to have been handed out, I wanted to briefly summarize one of the most notable of school years that UCC has ever had. 

Starting out in masks and still using the reach app, I am sure many of us were uncertain as to what to expect. COVID-19 restrictions were virtually still intact and the half-course term-system was still running. However, extracurricular activities, including sports teams and musical ensembles, were starting up, and there was a general sense of excitement for the end of the pandemic. 

To our disappointment, the Omicron variant just had to spoil the fun, and by the return to school from winter break, we were forced to move to virtual classes for a few weeks. Unlike past years, this time, we made a full comeback and returned to in-class learning by February, including extracurriculars. After the two-week March break, the province allowed us to return to class maskless. 

At the end of this year, after walking down the halls, the stark contrast between September-2021 UCC and June-2022 UCC has become incredibly apparent to me. It has certainly changed for the better, and for students that came to the college in the 2019-2020 year, we are finally starting to get a taste of what the full year is supposed to look like – even if it is harder at certain points. 

There is much to look forward to, and TBAW has many big plans for next year (including a return of…The Blazer?!?!?). I would like to also take this opportunity to welcome all the new members joining this year. Our leadership team has grown immensely, and I am looking forward to working with all of them. 

On behalf of the TBAW team, have a safe and happy summer break!

Roman Bharati, 

Co-Editor-in-Chief