This week, we’re checking in with LEDA Cohort 12 Scholar Ahmed as he adjusts to pandemic life. Some of his most pressing concerns have been a few pre-existing family medical issues and loss of income. Ahmed credits his LEDA College Success Counselor, the LEDA Community, and the FLI community at Stanford for making the situation less scary. “The members of this community really make the time to help one another in times of need.” Receiving support from the LEDA COVID-19 Emergency Fund also helped to provide some stability, and this summer, he has been enjoying his (remote) internship at Microsoft Research.

Ahmed already had some experience with online classwork before everything transitioned to a remote model, but he misses the level of collaboration he had on campus with other students. He also finds it more challenging to plow through all of the coursework on his own.

Here are some strategies that Ahmed is using to be successful for remote learning:

1. Connect with other students in your class through group chats, check-ins, etc.
2. Be proactive: you need to make an intentional effort to stay on top of your schoolwork.
3. Watch out for the physical demands of Zoom/video conferencing: if possible, try to make it easier on your body to handle sitting for long periods in front of a computer screen. Equipment like a chair with good back support, blue light-filtering glasses, and a larger or closer screen can help.
4. Stand up and stretch at least once every 30 minutes.