This is a message that I shared with all of my students on what would have been the last day of classes at SUNY Oswego on May 8, 2020.

Hey there, thrill seekers,

So ... bit of a semester, eh?

It's needless to say that when we all first met at the end of January, we had no idea what was in store for us. This is a semester unlike any other in history. And it's worth pausing for a minute on what would have been the day of our last class meeting, and before finals week and summer break and the great unknown, I wanted to say something.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

None of you signed up for any of this. College is stressful enough, but in the middle of a semester, you got thrown into a global pandemic, a new modality of learning. You had a million questions that none of us knew the answers to. You dealt with stresses far beyond anything I've dealt with as an adult, and the everyday stresses of life.

And all of you - every single one of you - rose to the challenge. You showed up. You did the work. You did great work. You cared. You tried.

You did more than I could have ever expected or asked of you. I am beyond proud of every single one of you.

Thank you for showing up. Thank you to every single one of you who shared a kind word after my mom died in February. Thank you for your understanding as I tried to make class meaningful and manageable. Thank you for enduring the animal plates, the massive hair, and the dad jokes. All of the dad jokes.

To my seniors: I'm sorry that you lost your second semester and your graduation. It's not fair, and nothing can make it fair. But do know that I'm proud of you and can't wait to see the difference you're going to make in the world.

I wish you all an easy final's week and a restful summer break. Keep in touch on social media.

Be safe. Be well. Be good to each other.

Oh yeah.

Call your mom.

-Prof Moritz