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The weekend of her 21st birthday, Morgan Awner 鈥�21 was supposed to be in Patagonia, hiking and taking in the breathtaking views of the region鈥檚 infamous glaciers, fjords and mountains, on her study abroad program鈥檚 first trip out of Santiago, Chile.

鈥淭hat was supposed to be my birthday trip,鈥� she said.

Then, COVID-19 developed into a global health crisis and forced her onto a last-minute flight back to Buffalo, N.Y., where she spent March 23, the day she turned legal, with her parents and sister 鈥� quarantined in her childhood home.

With thousands of college students across the nation from campuses in response to the coronavirus pandemic, many are spending their 21st birthdays quarantined at home, restricted by the social distancing measures needed to mitigate the spread of the virus. At the start of this academic year, students enrolled in post-secondary institutions were between the ages of 18 and 24, and in 2018, around 53 percent of 20 to 21-year-olds nationwide 鈥� the largest percentage of any age group in the national population 鈥� was enrolled in college.

鈥淚 remember I got really sad on the night of my birthday,鈥� Awner said, reflecting on how for years, she鈥檇 looked forward to celebrating this milestone. Then COVID-19 struck, and 鈥渋t just ended up being (spent) back in my house.鈥�

Still, while the pandemic has made it difficult for anyone to spend their 21st birthday as they might have expected, the conditions of isolation have fostered creative ways of celebrating and memories that will, nevertheless, last a lifetime.聽

鈥淒efinitely not what you expected from movies.鈥�

When Awner was maybe 16, she鈥檇 looked ahead on a calendar and found that, much to her dismay, the day she turned 21 was fated to land on a Monday.聽

Still, 鈥淚 was really just looking forward to celebrating my birthday abroad and having so much freedom,鈥� she said. Those hopes were dashed when her program in Santiago was officially cancelled March 17 amid mounting fears of COVID-19, and she was told she had to be out of the country within the next three days. Panic set in when, the night before her frantically-booked flight, a helicopter flew overhead announcing a city-wide mandatory self-quarantine beginning at midnight. Awner had two hours to pack her bags and get on a flight back to Buffalo, where she arrived just a few days before her Patagonia trip was supposed to begin.

But the day of her birthday was not entirely lost. Relishing the rare opportunity to celebrate with their daughter, Awner鈥檚 parents broke quarantine to buy orange juice for mimosas and other ingredients to make pancakes and a painted sign and cards.

鈥淚 really was thankful for how much they tried to make the day really special,鈥� Awner said. 鈥淚 really feel like they did that and I have fond memories of it now, just a month later.鈥�

And while spending the day with their parents isn鈥檛 exactly what someone might hope for their 21st birthday, 鈥渋t was actually really nice to celebrate my birthday with my family, because I hadn't done that since I started college,鈥� Awner said. And since the legal drinking age is 18 in Chile, where she had spent the past few months, the milestone just 鈥渄idn鈥檛 really matter鈥� as much.聽

Later that day, Awner drove around her block to eat lunch out of the trunk of her car 鈥� parked 10 feet away from her best friend from home, who was sitting in her own trunk, and who shares Awner鈥檚 birthday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I did all afternoon,鈥� she said.

After dinner, Awner hosted several virtual parties over Zoom. Her first party, which was the first time she and her study abroad friends had seen each other since departing Chile so suddenly just a week prior, 鈥渨as definitely bittersweet and a lot more stress than fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were still at the point where we were stressed about classes, we were stressed about our semester getting canceled.鈥�

Her second Zoom party, with her Brown friends, was more fun, she said. Awner and her friends made a 鈥渉uge list of crazy, weird activities鈥� to do while self-isolation measures remain in place 鈥� a list they titled, 鈥淨uirky Hobbies for Quarantine.鈥� Ideas ranged from productive daily habits to 鈥減ierce your own ear鈥� and 鈥減ost a serious singing video on your Instagram.鈥�

After a day of spending time with her family and friends and answering birthday messages from all those who reached out, Awner said that while her 21st birthday was 鈥渄efinitely not what you expected from movies,鈥� she still felt 鈥渢hankful鈥� for her close friends.

鈥淚 felt loved by my family.鈥�

Instead of learning mixology at the Graduate Center Bar bartending class she鈥檇 already bought tickets for with a friend, Shinyoung Lee 鈥�21 celebrated her 21st birthday with her parents back home in Seoul, South Korea.聽

In a country that has largely 鈥�鈥� of new COVID-19 cases, Lee spent the day driving around Seoul and eating a traditional Korean lunch out at a restaurant with her parents. And even though she鈥檚 been able to venture out of her home after finishing a 14-day quarantine, the hour-and-a-half drive with the windows down gave Lee the chance to see the cherry blossoms blooming on the outskirts of Seoul.聽聽

Throughout the day, 鈥渢he most pronounced thing that I felt was that I felt loved by my family,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚 definitely realized how important they are to me.鈥�

She added that her past two birthdays, both of which she celebrated while on campus, always happened to land during the thick of midterms 鈥� each year, she had at least one or two exams the day of. 鈥淚 don't think I ever felt at peace being there,鈥� she said. With everyone around her equally stressed and academically busy, celebrations for her birthday usually culminated in a 30-minute cake cutting.聽

So this year, "it was just really nice to have some downtime with my family,鈥� Lee said, 鈥渏ust talking about (stuff that鈥檚) not even that important. Just being with them was really comforting."

At night, she hosted a Zoom party with some friends from Brown. One of the trickiest things for her to figure out in organizing a virtual celebration was determining who to invite, given her different friend groups from various activities and social circles. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 really invite people who don鈥檛 know each other,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ecause you can only have one conversation鈥� at a time over Zoom.聽

The virtual celebration went deep into the night for Lee, but ended at different times throughout the day for her guests, who are located around the globe. During the party, she and some friends drank anyway, even though the legal drinking age is 19 for her in South Korea. 鈥淚t still felt like I should,鈥� she explained, adding that it was 鈥渏ust fun to see people's faces and to talk to a lot of different people at the same time.鈥�

And while celebrating with her friends might have been even more fun in person, Lee had lowered her expectations for the party from the beginning.聽

鈥淚 was just like, if this doesn't work out, it's okay,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 more important is that we鈥檙e all safe in our quarantine zones, so that鈥檚 what I kept reminding myself.鈥�

鈥淎s long as we鈥檙e safe, we鈥檙e happy.鈥�

Nomin Baatarkhuu 鈥�21 said her 21st birthday felt like any other day of quarantine at home in northern Virginia.聽

For her birthday dinner, she and her mom cooked barbeque ribs 鈥� Baatarkhuu鈥檚 favorite food 鈥� potato salad, vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, banana bread and a crepe cake, which is something she鈥檚 always wanted to make. 鈥淚've tried to make crepe cakes before and I thought, since I have all this time, I might as well put more effort into it and try to make it really good,鈥� she said.

Cooking with her mom has maintained a bit of normalcy for the family through the uncertainties of the pandemic. 鈥淚t's pretty normal for my mom and I to cook together,鈥� Baatarkhuu said. And 鈥渋t鈥檚 normal for my brother and my dad to eat the food we make, so it felt like any other day."

Before COVID-19, Baatarkhuu thought she and her friends would be able to go out for dinner in Providence and bake a cake for her birthday. So having to celebrate with her friends over Zoom instead felt 鈥渨eird.鈥�

But while the day 鈥渨as not what I imagined 鈥� my 21st birthday (would) be,鈥� she said, 鈥渋n the context of what's happening in the world, it was perfectly peaceful and relaxing.鈥�

鈥淚n our household, as long as we鈥檙e safe, we鈥檙e happy,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y brother, my dad and I have just been staying at home. And we鈥檙e fine with that.鈥�

鈥淔or the schtick of getting carded鈥澛�

Claire Miller 鈥�21 was on a 12-hour flight home to Chevy Chase, M.D. from Tel Aviv, Israel 鈥� where she was studying abroad 鈥� when, over 30,000 feet in the air, it became her 21st birthday.聽

Flying with an immunocompromised friend from her program, Miller said she spent most of the flight 鈥渏ust giving her hand sanitizer鈥� and 鈥渨iping everything down with antibacterial wipes.鈥�

The kosher birthday meal she ordered on the flight was 鈥済ross,鈥� but had the added advantage of being double-wrapped to prevent non-kosher contamination 鈥� and in the context of a viral pandemic, Miller said, 鈥渋t meant no one else could breathe on my food.鈥澛�

To celebrate a little on the flight, Miller ordered some wine, 鈥渏ust kind of for the schtick of getting carded,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was like, I don't know when my next chance is going to be that I'm gonna get to use my ID, so I may as well use it now.鈥� The flight attendant asked for her ID, then gifted her two mini bottles of wine.聽

When Miller finally made it home at around 5 a.m. on her birthday, her mom had laid out a brunch with bagels and homemade cranberry bread, and had set up balloons 鈥� which she had purchased before Maryland鈥檚 stay-at-home order was issued March 30 鈥� around the house.聽