After a year of living within the physical, emotional, and educational confines of COVID-19, college students have encountered many challenges in surviving the new normal of online learning on top of the political climate from 2020. Kisa Jafri (Harper College), Ethan Chiu (Loyola University Chicago), Jermaine Hilton (College of Lake County), and Kennedy Mallory (Loyola University Chicago) shared their personal experiences illustrating the hard knock life of virtual learning and being isolated from each other. They provided insights about the benefits of having mentors, mentoring others, and engaging in campus activism in the pursuit of culturally-affirming environments.