The COVID-19 pandemic flipped the education world on its head, affecting teachers learning how to teach online, as well as students trying to learn in a virtual world. But there is a small group of candidates in higher education who had to balance both worlds: student teachers. This qualitative case study recounts the experiences of seven undergraduate and graduate students in the final year of their teaching preparation program during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Through these accounts, this study further analyzed and compared how switching to distance learning affected participants both as university students, as well as future teachers. These student teachers described the incredible challenges they encountered during this unique year, the worries they held for their PK-12 students, and the unique experiences and skills student teaching during a pandemic offered them. These student teachers' experiences were also analyzed using Self-Determination Theory's components of relatedness, competence, and autonomy. Findings indicate that students, for the most part, felt related and autonomous but struggled more with feelings of mastery.