The pandemic helped Maddie Dornack grow more comfortable with her own thoughts.

As someone who lived her life out of the house as much as possible, not being able to socialize with her loved ones was trying for the senior sociology major.

“I never knew what free time was until the pandemic,” said Dornack. “I used to spend every waking minute either at work, school, or with my boyfriend and friends.”

To go from a full social calendar to complete isolation was difficult. 

In hindsight, Dornack said that it helped her mature.

“Spending time alone with my thoughts was something that I was never interested in…I welcomed all distractions in order to occupy my mind,” she said. “Yet when I was forced to be alone, I learned how to treat my thoughts with care.”

Though she never describes herself as particularly religious throughout her childhood, Dornack said being bunkered down through the pandemic made her more spiritual. 

“I found a lot of solace through meditation,” she said. “I learned more about myself than I have ever cared to delve into before.” 

In addition to meditation, Dornack began to explore the study of astrology and tarot cards. 

“I have found myself taking accountability for my actions a lot more since studying astrology and using tarot,” she said, adding that her new interest “has kickstarted a newfound passion within me.”

Though her parents raised her as a Christian, Dornack was never as religious as her parents. She always found herself questioning if she was a bad Christian for not believing everything that was said in church. 

“I wanted to make my parents proud,” she said. “I thought that by forcing myself to align with their religious views, I would be seen as the perfect daughter.” 

The past year changed that mindset entirely. 

“I believe that all religions hold some sort of truth within them, and it is up to us to carve our own path,” she said. “When I discovered my own spiritual path, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head.”