One day there was school, and the next day the classrooms were closed. 

Members of the class of 2023 were freshmen in high school or college, still getting used to their new normal. Suddenly, nothing was normal. 

Vacated schools became meal- and laptop-delivery hubs. Dorms closed. Siblings clustered at the kitchen table, headphones on. They tried to follow a teacher who had become a square on a screen. They lost learning so fewer people lost lives. Even small children learned to say “You’re muted.”  

They were teenagers and 20-somethings, and their lives had been muted.

No staying after class to ask a quick question. No flirting with a cute classmate. College students hungry for independence found themselves trapped at home. 

When they did return to the classroom, instead of proms and activities, they had masks and nose swabs. School, for some the only safe place, wasn’t safe anymore. Still, they did what it took to keep going.

The USA TODAY Network spoke with more than a dozen seniors from colleges and high schools across the nation. Some were celebrating their graduation. Some hadn’t made it there. They talked about their depression, their loneliness, their isolation. Also the talents they discovered,