As the University of California, Irvine (UCI) settles into its new remote environment, the Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning (OVPTL) wishes to highlight some of the student Anteaters who are finding ways to not only survive but thrive amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In this series, we introduce some of the UCI students who are finding success during this unprecedented time.

For third-year business economic major Melanie Huang, UCI’s abrupt shift to a remote learning environment required a significant adjustment period.

“I think the main challenges I faced were definitely figuring out how to deal with having so much flexibility and figuring out a schedule for myself,” she explains. “None of my classes required me to actually tune in during the actual lecture times, so during the first two weeks I found myself falling behind.”

However, as Melanie developed a regular routine, she had an easier time scheduling her days and improving her productivity. In fact, now that she is used to the remote environment, Melanie says that she actually prefers attending lectures online.

“I really enjoy the pre-recorded lectures,” she admits. “I think that being able to go at your own pace and stop and take notes helps me understand the content better.”

With a solid schedule to help her keep up with schoolwork, Melanie notes that she now has more free time to work on her personal and professional development.

She says, “It’s been a really great opportunity to work on myself. I’m taking advantage of all this time to learn more skills and do research on the things I’m interested in.”

She explains that in the new remote environment, there are more opportunities to learn than ever before. Melanie points out that there is an abundance of free online courses right now, and reveals that she has been taking LinkedIn Learning classes, as well as other free classes on marketing, branding, and Photoshop, to supplement her UCI courses.

As Melanie takes steps towards improving her professional skill set, she has also dedicated much of her time to finding opportunities where she can use these skills. 

While she acknowledges that the pandemic is making it harder for her to find a summer internship, she is still finding opportunities for success. For instance, she mentions that she has been able to continue her student internship with UCI’s OVPTL and expresses her gratitude for this opportunity. She also explains that a former mentor has reached out to her to offer her a position.

“My last internship had to cancel their current internship program because of the pandemic. They offered me a position as their intern because I’ve already been trained, so I’m very thankful for that.”

In addition to academic and professional opportunities, Melanie has also found ways to take better care of her physical and mental health as she shelters in place. Not only is she devoting herself to working out four times a week, but she is also making time to relax and express herself by playing the piano.

Most importantly, Melanie is making an effort to maintain her relationships and reach out to others. As a self-proclaimed extrovert, feeling connected and building a network of support is important to Melanie. She explains, 

One way that I’ve learned to cope with the situation is by staying connected with my friends and colleagues. Using social media and FaceTime has really helped me communicate my thoughts and share relatable struggles with my friends. Everyone’s going through a tough time right now, so being able to talk about it has really helped me.

Another thing that helps is being able to spend time with her family. With her brother recently graduated from college and back at home for the longest time in four years, Melanie emphasizes that being with her family is one of the best things to come out of the pandemic.

“It’s been like a very long time since my mom, dad, my brother, and I have been at home together. So I think that a positive takeaway of this situation is definitely being able to spend all this time with my family members and really just being able to bond and catch up.”

Want to share how you are redefining success in the current pandemic? Then submit your story here. To read more Stories of Resilience During the Pandemic, click here.