College students struggled mightily during COVID-19. They moved back in with parents, transitioned to all-online coursework, and missed the social opportunities associated with campus living. But the quarantine wasn’t a bust for everyone, as noted in this firsthand account — told to and published by Business Insider— of how an Elkins Park freshman Simmy Decker spent her time.

Simone “Simmy” Decker was in the second half of her Freshman year at Brandeis University when the Boston campus’ students were dismissed for their own safety.

During lockdown, Decker joined Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, a national organization that furnishes organic crop growers and livestock raisers with willing volunteers.

Eventually, she landed at Left Foot Farm, outside Seattle.

“One of the main jobs was milking about 70 goats twice per day,” she wrote.

Her arrangement included two days off a week, onsite accommodations (in a cabin), and ingredients for self-cooked meals.

“My favorite part of my stay was interacting with the goats,” Decker reported. “They are really sweet creatures. They would often approach me when I was reading and rub against me.

“At a time when we were lacking physical contact due to the pandemic, animals became a great source of that.”

“The experience changed my life,” Decker concluded.

Decker’s first-hand account is at Business Insider.