My freshman year at Central has been one of the most unique experiences of my life. My idea of what my first year of high school would look like changed drastically over the course of this year, but at least I can say I’m not disappointed in the way it turned out. I love being able to see this historic school in person, but having this opportunity in 2020 obviously came with some tradeoffs. I knew I would be wearing a mask for the entire school day, but I didn’t realize that I would actually learn a lot from wearing one over the course of seven hours.

The good things

1. Can keep acne covered up

Masks are a sort of double-edged sword when it comes to your face. While they make it easier for pores to clog and acne to flare, they can also conceal these irritations from others until they can be dealt with. If I spot a pimple square in the middle of my nose, I don’t need to panic too much about it, because no one will be able to tell when I get to school.

2. Keeps my face warm outside

It’s winter in Nebraska, so that means you can expect the temperature to be anywhere between freezing and 40 below on any day of the week. So, anything that keeps you warm is beneficial right now. Over the course of attending school in person, I’ve realized masks are really good at keeping your face warm. It basically functions the same way as keeping your hands warm, but for your face.

3. Can accessorize with outfits

I’m not the most extravagant of dressers. I usually come to school in sweatpants and a hoodie. Even though I dress as boring as a carboard box most of the time, a certain mask can add a little more to a look. Maybe you needed one more color for your outfit, but didn’t know where it would come from. I’m not that terribly interested in fashion, but the right mask could help with style. (If you find the right mask, then they can also add a little more support for your favorite sports team).

The not-so-good things

1. Can’t blow hairs off iPad screen

There always seems to be a hair on my iPad screen annoying me. Usually, I would just blow it off and not give it a second thought. Only, when I try to blow a hair of my iPad screen now, I remind myself that I can’t do that while wearing a mask. This isn’t anything huge since I can just brush it off, but it has become a mild annoyance.

2. Hard to emote

This sounds a bit weird, but I emote a lot with my mouth. I talk in a lot of different tones and manners, and I use my mouth to get my point across. So, it’s a bit hard for me to do that when the entire bottom part of my face is covered. It’s not massive, it just feels like a small handicap when I try to talk to someone.

3. Can’t unlock my phone easily

As I pull out my phone, I look down at the screen, ready for it to open so I can check my messages or change my playlist. For anyone who has a phone that uses facial recognition, then you know this feeling. So, it’s a bit of an issue when it can’t fully recognize your face with a mask on. For people whose phones don’t use facial recognition to unlock, then this need not apply, and you can go about your life as someone who can easily unlock your phone.