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'We’re not having the experience that other seniors had.' Firsthand look at how COVID-19 is disrupting senior year plans

17-year-old Isaiah Miller uprooted his life to pursue basketball with the hopes of playing in college. However, COVID-19 has placed his plans in an unknown court.

CLEVELAND — 3News is getting a firsthand look at what it’s like to be a high school senior during a global pandemic by following 17-year-old Isaiah Miller as he moves through his last year at John Hay.

The young athlete had plans to drive through his senior year like he drives to the hoop during a big game.  

“I was looking to set new records, beat my personal record and put my name in the books,” Miller says. “But sadly, I don't know how that's going to go yet.”

Miller, who also runs cross country and says he was close to breaking a school record last year, is facing a suspended fall season due to coronavirus concerns.  

When it comes to his hoop dreams, Miller’s mom, Monique Williams Kelly, says he would be devastated if he couldn’t play basketball due to a canceled season. That's because Williams Kelly made the difficult decision to allow her son to leave Shaker Heights where she lives and establish residency with his father in Cleveland. The move gave Miller the opportunity to continue playing basketball at John Hay after he was cut from Shaker's team his sophomore year.

“It paid off because he blossomed and he bloomed in ways we hadn't seen before,” Williams Kelly explains.

But then COVID-19 hit.

“Last year of high school was supposed to be your best year of your life for a great experience, but unfortunately we’re not having the experience that other seniors had in the past," Miller says.

Just weeks before he was scheduled to start school remotely in September, Miller tested positive for COVID-19. He said he’s thankful he didn't play in a summer travel league basketball tournament while he waited three days for his COVID test results.

“If I would have went, I would have got my teammates sick, the people I was playing against, the refs, people in the hotel room, the restaurant and I wouldn't even know."

Miller’s mother says her biggest concern is how her son may be treated.

“Right now this is like leprosy. It’s a situation where you could be pegged as something or dangerous. Nobody wants their kid to feel that. Nobody wants to feel that themselves. Ultimately what I want him to do is to say 'this is another trial that I faced.' I never know why I am the one who received it, but him being able to tell his story is an opportunity to move through this."

Miller self-quarantined after testing positive and says the only symptom he experienced was losing his sense of taste and smell. 3News will continue to follow Miller's progress. 

You can share your 2020-2021 senior year experience as well by e-mailing morningshow@wkyc.com.

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