The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably turned the lives of college students upside down. Campuses closed, students were sent home, and friends had to say unexpected goodbyes to one another. For many people, sheltering in place has made it difficult to stay in touch with people and strengthen their existing relationships. However for sophomore Club Basketball athlete Martin Barrett, it has been an opportunity to establish deeper connections.
"I've never been the type of person to constantly hit people up or anything like that," said Barrett. "I hate [Snapchat] streaks, and I don't really post that often on social media, so quarantine forced me out of my comfort zone in terms of maintaining my friendships. I started doing this passion project, where I schedule in-depth interviews with friends to get to know them better and see their opinion on topics that don't generally get brought up in casual conversation."
Barrett's passion project is only one of the ways he is making the most of this crazy time we are living in. As he reflects on his time in quarantine, the basketball athlete says this extra time away from school has definitely changed his perspective in terms of relationships with friends and family.
"I've started hanging out with my family a lot more," Barrett said. "It turns out, they're pretty cool people!"
In addition to socializing with family members and friends, he has also spent his time in quarantine focusing on himself and finding new hobbies off of the court.
"I love to cook so I've been testing new recipes and immersing myself in the worlds of pickling and baking," Barrett said. "I've been writing some poetry and reading quite a bit; I highly recommend reading The Alchemist for anyone who wants to find their way on their spiritual journey."
While he is certainly making lemonade out of lemons during this time, Barrett looks forward to returning to UCLA and his teammates. It is the constant banter and shenanigans that he misses–along with the competitive atmosphere, of course. Barrett decided to join the team his freshman year when he realized that pick-up games at Wooden weren't giving him the high-level of competition and excitement he wanted. Joining the club team filled this gap and provided the perfect fun, high-energy environment he had been seeking.
"Club basketball has had an incredibly positive impact on my UCLA experience," Barrett said. "The practices are the perfect mix of high-level basketball games and high-level roast sessions, which make them both a good workout and a great hangout."
From playing one-on-one after practice to late-night shenanigans after tournaments, Barrett misses playing with his teammates (and trash-talking them, of course) and looks forward to when they are all back on the court together.
While no one knows when exactly this return to sports may be, Martin's personal passion project can serve as motivation for us all to not let this pandemic stand in the way of strengthening the relationships we have with others. Whether it is a phone call to a friend you haven't heard in a while, or spending more time with your family, this time away from our beloved UCLA campus may actually be a blessing in disguise.
Thank you, Martin, for sharing your story and inspiring us to make the most of this situation!
