Austin Bechtold, a 19-year-old college student at Robert Morris University, says, “At first I didn’t understand the severity of the virus and I was disappointed that it interrupted the second semester of my freshman year, which I was actually enjoying better than the first”.
As a fellow freshman at Allegheny college I could empathize with that sentiment.
Austin has always been in love with sports, “I miss sports the most. Sports are my life and now they are gone. This is usually a dead time in sports but now they’re just Dead” he tweeted (@AustinRBechtold).
I would agree, but there is more to life out there than just sports.
Most people would say that this pandemic is the worst, socially, and they do not know how to keep themselves occupied. Bechtold would respectfully disagree even though he admits, “I think I’m dealing with it better than I thought, but I hate that I can’t go out and see my friends”.
With some of Austin’s downtime, he does what a regular teen is doing during this time, and that is watching shows such as Tiger King, and Big Brother. But, most of his free time has been spent with his family. Particularly with his Father.
Austin and his father usually spend a lot of time together, but because of COVID-19 they have been able to take up the nineteen year-long project that has become a father-son bonding project in their basement. Yes, ever since Austin was born. All of Austin’s life, his father has been teaching him valuable lessons on how to work on things around the house. Even though the basement is not 100% complete yet, Austin plans to use the extra time with his father to finally finish the product.
“Hopefully the whole basement will be done by summer but time is definitely in our hands. I am just praying that this uncertain time flies by and the world can get back to normal soon” Bechtold says.
Bechtold uses the trending #AloneTogether as his twitter motivation and to assure other people that we are all together and will get through this.
Bechtold’s message to all of us: “We can learn to appreciate daily life more and not take the small things for granted. I think that idea is really hitting everyone in the face during this period. That kind of speaks to everyone just sitting at home now, and realizing, ‘well here we are’”...
~~ Austin Bechtold. Interviewed by Aaron Exler (Class of '23)
LET'S CHERISH THE SIMPLE THINGS IN LIFE. LIKE GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY ESPECIALLY IN THESE TIMES. PLEASE DONATE TO HELP GATOR STUDENTS WHO ARE PART OF OUR FAMILY.
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