The Covid-19 outbreak was a surprise but Xavier took the necessary precautions and bounced back. Adapting to a virtual world was difficult, but that didn’t stop the Xavier students and staff from going above and beyond. They found new ways to keep their minds, bodies, creativity, spirit and faith active.

 Junior Daniela Rivera started her own jewelry business with her mom called “Sugar Rush.”  “I love creating and making new things. I chose jewelry because I wanted to be able to help people feel beautiful and express themselves,” said Rivera. Rivera has always looked up to her mom who is a self taught jewelry maker. Her mom taught her everything and they enjoy working together and coming up with new designs.

Although starting her business during Covid-19 was intimidating, Rivera was motivated by the support of her friends and family. Once the business grows larger, she plans to use her success to give back to her community.       

Mrs. Lisa Zuba was out running last April when she had a hard fall. “After months of pain, I found early in the summer that I had torn my rotator cuff and bicep muscle. In fact, they were very badly torn. The surgeon wasn’t sure he could fix them,” Zuba said.

Zuba had the surgery and her right arm was in a sling and immobilizer for six weeks. She is healing, slowly but surely. Through these difficult times, Zuba has been growing in patience. She was excited and is grateful for the opportunity to learn from this experience. 

During this pandemic, some Gators focused on community service, such as senior Campbell MacKenzie, who baked and sold cakes to raise money for the HeartFire Mission Trips to purchase medical supplies. HeartFire Mission Trips is an organization that trains young adults in simple and basic medical skills. They travel and work on advancing their humanitarian endeavors.       

The last few months one student in particular went above and beyond. Senior and varsity volleyball player Kaori Robertson raised $3,000 from Go Fund Me, to buy hand washing stations for the Navajo Nation which were set up at several Bashas in Arizona and one in New Mexico. Robertson grew up with her grandmothers in the Navajo Nation, so this project is very personal to her.

 Covid-19 has cost the world many lives, and prayers are with families and loved ones. While social distancing, wearing masks and staying home are crucial, quarantine has enabled some time for self-reflection and how people treat others and themselves.

The students and staff have made great changes in themselves and in their communities despite unfortunate circumstances.