Stronger TUgether Student Voices: Audrey Abizaid

Audrey Abizaid, a second-year student from McLean, Virginia, says her professors have been helpful as she balanced in-person and online classes this semester. (Photo by Sally Asher)

 

Audrey Abizaid is a second-year student from McLean, Virginia.

Q: What is your hometown and what is your major? Do you live in a residence hall or off-campus?
A: I am from McLean, Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C., and I am a marketing major in the business school. I live in Irby Hall this year with seven other suitemates.

Q: What has been working for you so far this semester? Is there something you feel particularly good about?
A: Something that has been working for me so far this semester is the flexibility of the professors. When I had to quarantine earlier this semester, my professors were all extremely accommodating while I took classes remotely. My case manager was also very helpful, as she reached out to all of my professors to let them know about my circumstances. Although I go to in-person class as much as I can, it is always reassuring to know that I can follow all of my classes online in case I cannot make it in person. 

Q: What is your ratio of in-person classes to online classes? How do you stay organized?
A:
I have one class that is fully online, three classes that are hybrid (I go in person once a week and online the other days) and one class that is fully in person. To stay organized, I often take 30 minutes at the beginning of the week to outline all my assignments and assessment for the week. Doing this really helps me keep track of time when tackling a week where my workload is heavy. 

Q: What is your favorite on-campus dining/restaurant to get takeout from?
A: My favorite on-campus restaurant is Le Gourmet. It is a smoothie bowl/toast restaurant that is sooo delicious. I try to get it every morning for breakfast/lunch; however, it is a student favorite so there is often a long line. In my opinion, the line is totally worth it, though. This year Le Gourmet added meal swipes in addition to Wave Bucks, which was really exciting because I often have more meal swipes left than Wave Bucks as the end of the semester approaches.

Q: How do you de-stress now, during the pandemic?
A: I am lucky to have a balcony outside of my room in my residence hall, so I have been using it to its full potential. I often do yoga or exercise on the balcony when I wake up in the morning, so I have an active start to my day. Also, at the end of a nice day, my suitemates and I enjoy watching the sunset and eating dinner from our balcony.

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Audrey Abizaid
Abizaid gets an active start to her day with yoga on the residence hall balcony. (Photo by Sally Asher)