During her first semester at KU, Emma Frieze has tried to take the pandemic in stride, accepting the bleakness of the times while maintaining hopefulness over the future of virtual learning.
The strategic communication and marketing double major from Chapman, Kansas, echoes concerns from other students regarding the many transitions to virtual meeting rooms the university has arranged.
Frieze enjoys her classes and meetings with student groups such as Ad Club, The Agency and the Undergraduate Business Council. However, she can’t help but notice the human connection that just isn’t quite there in the virtual environment, as well as the inevitable interruptions, connection issues and more.
While that may be the case, it has not stopped Frieze’s excitement over college, nor her excitement over the future of virtual classrooms and work environments. She has found Zoom meetings make for very flexible meeting times and locations, and that this flexibility has often led to especially notable guest speakers.
Reflecting on the nation’s struggles with COVID-19 as well as her own, Frieze is confident virtual meetings and remote work have staying power in the field of marketing communications.