We made it, Seahawks. Two months after the coronavirus pandemic caused schools to shut down, forced classes online, sent many students back home, and all the adjustments that came in the middle of the semester, finals week is almost over. But before the semester officially ends, The Seahawk reached out to UNC Wilmington students to speak out on their favorite memories from spring 2020—specifically the graduating class of Spring 2020.

We asked the question, and you gave us your answers:

“I have so many great memories from UNCW, but my favorite most recently was when I finished my final project for my certificate in publishing class. I actually got to work on producing a book—ideas for the cover design, layout, etc.—which was way beyond cool! Thanks, Creative Writing Department, for the wonderful opportunity!”—Fairley Lloyd, Creative Writing, Class of 2020

“My favorite memory at UNCW is a hard choice to make, but my very first volunteering time with GIVEUNCW and Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity was the starting point to the rest of my college career in sustainability. When we went to Burgaw to help build a house and seeing the homeowner alongside all of us helping out, I almost cried of happiness.”—Zachery Tyson, Communication Studies, Class of 2020

“My fondest memory from UNCW was when I first met my friends that I still talk with today. There were times at school where I felt like I had little to no support from my peers, and my friends were the ones who came through for me and made my college experience better. It was always fascinating to me how I could attend a university with thousands of students, yet I could feel so lonely at times. Friends are the ones that can carry you through rough times, and I feel like my set of friends definitely did that for me. I wouldn’t have made it if I didn’t have the support around me as I did. So that will always be something I remember from my time at UNCW.”—Jordan Bell, Communication Studies, Class of 2020

“Tim Bass walked into the room and must’ve assumed we were preparing for a cult sacrifice. Our whole class had gotten cross-legged onto their desks, which were arranged in a circle in the creepy Kenan Hall room that has no windows. The lights were off. On the main screen, a fire was crackling, as well as some Latin music portraying the ambiance of an Illuminati meeting. Tim Bass was spared, and class resumed as if this was a normal day—that’s what it was like to be in the Creative Writing program.”—Sarah Grim, Creative Writing, Class of 2020

“My favorite memory as a Seahawk was coming back from Florence and feeling like we could get through anything as long as we stuck together.”—Valerie Keys, Communication Studies with Political Science minor, Class of 2020

“If I have to narrow it down to one moment, it would have to be staying awake through the entire 2019 Hawk-In. My friends and I had been planning on attending that event for months, and finally being able to sit there with an entire row full of friends, snacks and blankets really felt like a big win for me and the old gang.”—Darius Melton, Creative Writing, Class of 2020

“Honestly, my most favorite memories of UNCW come from just sitting in the hallways of Morton and talking to people before my classes started. Those conversations were always interesting, to say the least, and made me closer to my friends. Even if I did not know the person, I somehow manage to drag them into whatever I was talking about. I loved learning about their experiences and why they were here. It was nice to have that. There was always someone to complain about life with or to make me laugh.”—Kensi Laube, English with Political Science minor, Class of 2020

“My favorite UNCW memory has to be homecoming of last year. I did tabling with the newspaper, and it was pretty much the day I decided for sure that I wanted to be the EIC. I got to hang out with [Darius] and Fairley, and afterwards we got a big group of girls to go to the game together. It was really cool.”—Samantha Dickerson, Public Health, Class of 2020

This semester may not have ended as we wanted or expected, but that doesn’t take away the memories of the good times we’ve had here. Despite the adversity we’ve faced this semester, we pushed through, survived, and thrived in the end. Whether you’re graduating this semester or just finished freshmen year, you made it. That’s something to be proud of.

Wings up, Seahawks!