Guest Contributor, Tommy Tomlin
Corey Keene, a freshman at E&H who plays on the basketball team, is adjusting to an unusual college experience during COVID-19 pandemic. As an athlete, Keene has experienced the college’s many COVID precautions regularly both at E&H and on the road.
“The covid precautions play a huge part in the way we handle things,” Keene said. “From practicing with masks and having to create our own energy on game days since it is an empty gym due to covid regulations.”
Keene has had to adjust to not only the demand of being a student athlete at the collegiate level, but also the challenges of getting to know other students and his teammates due to the covid restrictions. Keene expressed the difficulty of socializing and building relationships with both class and teammates under covid precautions and his desire to be among his peers.
“I would say that we all have lost a part of the college experience with all the regulations in place. There isn’t really an opportunity to socialize or to get to know other classmates outside of whichever athletic team or academic clubs you may be a part of,” Keene said. “It’s also crazy because even though we are around each other all week during practice, games, and bus rides, we can’t gather in each other’s dorms and hangout.”
Keene, from Grundy, Virginia, came to Emory & Henry because the college is close to home and he was offered many academic and athletic opportunities. He is an intended exercise science major.
Despite these challenges, Keene has found his time at Emory & Henry enjoyable, even saying the campus has a “close family-like feeling.” He spends time with his friends driving around Abingdon and eating out.