I submitted this image because it represents the cleaning items that are essential in my life but have been hard to find because of COVID. Many people were restricted about how many Clorox wipes they could buy at the store. It was weird to go to the store and not find the cleaning products I need. When I found an item such as Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, I would send a text to my friends and family to let them know which store had them in stock. I would also try to buy several Lysol Laundry Sanitizers so that I could give them to my friends and family. Prior to COVID, cleaning products would not be a gift that you would give your friends and family, but it became a thoughtful item that you could give to your loved ones. For several weeks it was difficult for me to find Lysol laundry sanitizer. It was scary to go to the store and find the shelves empty. Luckily, I had already stockpiled prior to COVID so I had plenty for several months.

I submitted this image because it is a solution to a problem I thought I would never have. When Covid-19 started, my partner and I immediately started wearing masks. We felt it was something we could control during an uncertain time. As the months went on, and our cloth mask collection grew, we needed a place to keep them without being in the way. We purchased some adhesive hooks and placed them near our front door. Every time we leave the house our routine is to check for phone, wallet, keys, and mask. We have adapted quite well to our masks and by purchasing options that display our personalities, it feels as if we are making the best out of a bad situation. This image is meaningful to me because it represents our new routine. Masks are now just part of our daily checklist before leaving for work or to run errands. I do not mind wearing a mask, but I sometimes look at our collection and wonder how long it might be until we can retire our collection of masks.

I am posting this photo because it showcases how I have spent a lot of my time during the pandemic. This photo displays every painting I have created since the beginning of quarantine. Some of the works shown in the picture are still works in progress and others are completed. Before Covid prevailed and we were sent home in the spring, I had lost interest in painting and had not painted in months. The lockdown that Covid brought on allowed me to slow down and rekindle the love and creativity I had for painting. In this photo, there are 14 paintings, however, I have made more and gave them to friends as gifts. I mainly work with acrylic paint on canvas because I like vibrant color and solid lines, although, I would like to start experimenting with oil paints soon. Covid-19 brought on many obstacles to a lot of people but I am grateful that I was allowed to reconnect with painting

My friends and I had wanted to hang out for a while, but wanted to be safe while doing so. I picked them both up and while wearing masks the whole time, we drove to Newburyport, MA and then walked around. We stopped to get coffee and treats and sat outside. We walked along the boardwalk and continued to talk about stuff for a couple hours. We talked about shows we binged during quarantine, how we felt about online school and how excited we were to be able to go back to living at school eventually (we're all sophomores at different colleges). This picture is important to me because I have missed being able to hang out with my friends whenever I want to, and it took us such a long time to plan how we could all meet up.

On March 13th, 2020, my entire life shut down with the rest of Massachusetts. My public school job closed, my university closed and my life began only existing in the four rooms of my apartment. My time became dedicated to my toddler, I became a stay at home mom, student and caretaker full time. The world around us had stopped completely, or so it felt. Quarantine was in full affect and people were stuck inside for months.Then, almost magically, our communities began to come together. I have witnessed some of the most beautiful things I for so long ignored because of the business of every day life, I witnessed nature and humanity again. I began appreciating the little things again. Quarantine had become a time to reflect, grow and appreciate the world around me. This horrible situation began to blossom into people supporting each other, clapping for the healthcare workers nightly, singing together out their windows, thanking each other. I share this image because I realized in the midst of everything that has been bad about this year, I’m reminded daily that there is always positivity in the world, even when everything around us feels negative.

Throughout this pandemic, one of the hardest hit groups of people in terms of how much the community wide lock down halted life for the time being, were high school seniors. This picture was taken as a replacement for what prom photos would have been in May. While this might come off as a shallow thing to place importance on, these prom photos we took mean more than just trying to reclaim the high school experience. Of the girls in this photo, four of us are now college freshmen. In our last few weeks together we took every opportunity to get together for lunches, dinner, or drive in movies, things that we took for granted pre-covid. As a result, the pandemic has ingrained in me a very important principle to have: live as presently as you can. I can honestly say that my best friends and I are closer than we ever could have been had our high school experiences not been put on pause for six months. I appreciate their company more, and I believe wholeheartedly that our experiences apart, and subsequently together, have strengthened our bond for good.

The Coronavirus is not a one person issue. Everyone has had to deal with it and no one has been unaffected. I would like to recount for the archive my personal struggles during this pandemic so that they may be used for research purposes in dealing with something like this in the future. Before the pandemic started, I was a senior in high school. I had just asked my girlfriend to prom, which was just a few months away, and I had a 4.5 gpa for my senior year compared to my 3.5 for the rest of high school. I was excited to run spring track and try to break 5 minutes in the mile for the first time in high school. I hung out nearly everyday with my best friends. I had just committed to Suffolk University and was excited for the future. I didn’t really realize how bad Covid-19 was going to be until what would be our last day of school. It was a thursday, and all of us thought it would be a quick two week break to get rid of the virus and we would all be back. Obviously, that was not the case. I am a pretty social person, so when the lockdown was announced a week later, I really struggled with staying inside. Even with facetime, xbox live chat, and texting, I was not able to get enough social interaction. I felt extremely lonely. Spring sports were obviously also cancelled. This was just the first domino to fall in a long list of unfortunate events for me that, no doubt, many others experienced as well. A few weeks into lockdown, my girlfriend called me in tears telling me that her blood condition, which affects her nerve endings in almost her entire body, had gotten much more severe. Even worse, Covid-19 was making it harder to go to the hospital for the treatments. For her health, we had to break up, and I have not talked to or heard from her since. My older brother had also moved home from college at this point from UMass Amherst. While my younger brother and I have always done well in school and been well behaved kids, the same could not be said for my older brother. An avid weed smoker and oftentimes alcohol abuser, I had to share a room with him for all of quarantine, and continue to do so now. He experienced a lot less rules and a lot more freedom while in college, and did not transition well back to the stricter rules of our household, and often took this out on me. While he did not physically harm me, as I am much stronger than him, he continued to throw flurries of insults and mental abuse at me, ruining my every day. He also did this to the rest of my family, making it hell for everyone at home. At one point, my mother kicked him out, and he had to live with his boyfriend for a while. My mother also did not deal well with staying inside. She has struggled with her weight almost her entire adult life, and the closing of gyms during Covid-19 made her lose all motivation to stay in shape. She gained almost 100 pounds back in 2 months. My older brother coming home also caused her mounds of stress. Since my younger brother hid in his own locked room, and my older brother screamed or stormed out when my mom got mad at us, she took out all of her frustrations on me for the smallest things, taking away the devices I used to contact all my friends just because I had forgotten to put my shoes away or do the dishes. My father and my younger brother both dealt much better with the situation, but that did not save me from the rest of my family. After missing school and all my friends, getting my spring sport cancelled, losing my girlfriend, my brother and mother constantly berating and harassing me, and having nowhere to go but my shared room with no privacy, I began to free fall into a major case of depression and suicidal thoughts. Prior to this pandemic, I had never spoken with a therapist. I used to get bullied in elementary and middle school, but I always had ways of coping such as sports, hanging out with friends, and focusing on school, but now I had a real problem on my hands. After about 4 weeks of struggling inside of my own head, I finally realized I needed professional help. My parents set me up with a woman named Rachel via Zoom, and I talk to her every thursday. She is a licensed therapist, and is part of the new wave of technological medical care in this time of a pandemic. While she has not solved my problems, both the easing of restrictions and her mental guidance has helped me to cope with my situation. I am very grateful for her, and although I am not fully back to where I was before the pandemic, I am continuing to recover to this day. I leave to move in at Suffolk in 5 days, and I could not be more excited for the change of scenery, new friends, and a chance to continue my sport into college. The pandemic has been hard on everyone, and I am sure that I am not alone in my struggles. I wrote this so that people can look back in the future to realize just how devastating an impact can have on one individual’s life if not handled properly, because Covid-19 genuinely rocked my world.

In February of 2020, I was a high school senior trying to finish up high school and think about what I was trying to be doing the next school year. By March, the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker declared a stay-at-home order and I was finishing high school by doing assignments and emailing them to teachers. Then the shut-down really evolved as my high school prom and graduation were both canceled. Well, our graduation was only partially canceled. Six students receiving diplomas were allowed to show up every 30 minutes, with no more than five family members present, and everyone remained socially distant throughout the process. My parents both started working from home and always seemed to be doing something I had not previously heard of, Zoom calls. To get a head start on college, I had signed up for a Summer class at Suffolk University. Amongst other reasons, I had chosen Suffolk for its proximate location to my home, its outstanding science facilities (a brand-new sciences and lab building), urban feel and connections to local businesses, hospitals, and research facilities. Then the class went remote and Zoom meetings became the norm for me. The Politics of a Global Pandemic class involved a weekly Zoom forum with panelists from around the world. Topics varied weekly, but the theme always involved global politics around this pandemic. At first, I figured it would be mainly US politics, since it is a presidential election year. Then we talked about a variety of pandemic's global impacts, economic effects, cultural changes, and how society and political leaders view these challenges. We didn't use Zoom calls in those last few months of my senior year of high school. Then two months later, Zoom became so mainstream that the biggest political convention of my lifetime (to date) was actually held virtually. The title of the article, "The DNC Is the Best Zoom Meeting of 2020—So Far" resonates as it seems like this could be just the beginning. I turned 18 just prior to the pandemic and registered to vote. From what I've seen in online videos of past conventions, were speeches, political endorsements, and balloons cascading from the ceiling of a stadium as a candidate accepts his or her party nomination. This pandemic changed things for me, for global politics, and society so drastically, I wonder when or if in-person schooling and politics will ever be what I saw and experienced over the course of my life. I’m now registered for all virtual classes this fall; and probably more Zoom calls.

At the beginning of my senior year in high school all I could think about was what college, at Suffolk University, was going to be like. I was excited to see a new part of the world, and to get the chance to meet new people. However the covid-19 pandemic changed every thing, and the image of the perfect college experience in my head was met with a stark reality that includes getting regularly tested for a deadly virus, avoiding physical contact with other people, online classes, and signing up on schedules for every day activities such as doing laundry, going to the cafeteria, going to the library, getting the mail, etc. While I am great full that Suffolk has taken the time to put in place all the necessary precautions needed to stop the spread of covid-19, I can’t help but to feel that myself and many others are going to face many challenges that did not exist before the covid-19 pandemic, and miss out on many experiences that we are no longer able to have because of the ongoing pandemic. Even though the my first full semester of college has yet to start, I have already gained some experience in attending class in a virtual setting, through an online summer course. At first I thought taking this course online would be difficult and that I would struggle to learn since I was not it a learning environment and was surrounded by many distractions. While I did sometimes find my environment to be distracting, I did find that over all it was not to difficult to focus in class. What I actually found to be most difficult about the online courses was coordinating group projects with other students. Although group project partners did a great job doing their share of the work, it was still difficult coordinate our projects since we all lived in different states, and were unable to meet in person. Other than this I found my online class to be just as engaging as class I have taken in the past. Though the struggles of online class is not my only concern for this fall semester, instead I’m more concerned that this new social distancing environment will make it more difficult to meet new people and to make connections. Suffolk has gone to great lengths to provide not only safe learning spaces, but also safe public spaces and single room boarding for its students although theses new policy make living in a new place feel even more lonely. To combat this new social divide Suffolk has been creating virtual and in person social distancing events that have allowed students and staff to get to know each other. These events have done a great job at making me feel more apart of the Suffolk community, and have lessened my fears about this upcoming semester. While the covid-19 pandemic continues to bring many struggles and create new challenges for people all over the world, I still believe that I will be able to thrive in college, and that the new challenges brought on by covid-19 pandemic will be met by creative solutions. I plan to continue to strive as a student and as a member of the Suffolk community, and to embrace the new social distancing norm.

It was Valentines Day this year and I just got out of school and was prepped for my last race for my high school track season indoors. I was shocked that my coach gave my teammates and I the opportunity to run at Reggie one last time as we were barely qualified to run the 4x800. Distance running wasn’t something that I could describe as being experienced in however I was deeply invested in the sport as my diet, my routine and how I functioned daily was a mere resultant of it being in my life. At the time I knew a little about COVID seeing how it began to affect New York the most and how Massachusetts has seen a couple sightings of it as well starting to see some cases arise in the Boston area and throughout the state in general. Once my team got to Boston, the meet shortly started and I knew that I had a couple hours to chill around and get myself into the mindset of running well and quickly in my event. I finished my homework and I proceeded to look around the center with my friends just chatting and laughing like normal teenagers would do to pass the time. I got to see one of my best friends beat his personal best in the 1000 meter by large chunks of seconds and I knew that this would be the start of a positive day in the realm of Tewksbury running. My other best friend was able to run under 10 minutes in the 2 mile as he was qualified to get a medal for beating out the last Billerica kid that was in his way(in Track, there was some tension between my town and Billerica due to the proximity of the towns and the competition that they had). After bolstering enough energy to yell at them, I got my opportunity to run. Even though my race was short lived and I was put in a negative mindset for how poor I ran the race and wasn’t happy with my time, I was able to goof off and hype up my other teammates who absolutely killed it in their races. The sad part of it all was how I told myself that in spring I would be able to crush my current personal best in the 800 meter with ease by training. Too bad I wasn’t informed then that my highschool career for track ended there. In April, I reached out to the coach of Suffolk University to talk about my passion for the sport and how I wanted to continue my journey in improving my ability to race hard. Once I heard back from him and got the “ok”, I was pumped and excited because now I know that I can train my heart out for a sport that I love and see myself grow slowly over time. Some of the positives though were short lived as it hit me like a truck when I found out that I had posterior tibial tendonitis in my left ankle. At first glance, an injury such as this seems measly small and could be healed with proper assistance due to icing and stretching but this is my second time getting this type of tendonitis in the same ankle and it took me a little over two months to heal before running again. An added wound to this scar was the fact that I couldn’t cross train in some sort of practice area where I normally can be injured with having the comfort of other individuals surrounding me to forget that I ever got injured in the first place. Running by yourself is a mental obstacle for runners during the pandemic as they need to adapt to now mainly listening to their own footsteps. Being injured at home left me with the image that my teammates are progressing through the summer making the best of this situation and improving as distance runners while I had to chill at home and maybe substitute my daily run for a little more strength. A constant seventy days of that took a toll out of me as that was really the one excuse I can tell my parents to let me get out of the house for a bit. During quarantine and my time off, all I wanted was to goof off again with my friends as we question certain people who may be looking at us funny when we run or decide to run in the trails with nearly getting ourselves hurt. The copious amount of games of spikeball after a practice and the dinners right after runs were drilling right through my mind as the months of May through early July hit. Running is a great stress reliever for me and with the addition of being around people who adore the sport as much as myself, it feels like a second home that I could be myself and be able to progress well in. It made me look back on this Valentines Day and repeat to myself that I took some things for granted which were my passion for the sport in the atmosphere of having other people who love it as much as me and the time spent in general.

My story of the Quarantine is that initially I was kind of excited about the prospect of having an excuse to stay indoors. This is due to the fact that I am a homebody and would rather chill with my friends rather than go to parties. However, one thing that I did not think of was that not only would I be staying home most of the time, but a majority of the rest of my family would as well. When I was younger, having everyone home was not a problem, but now we are all grown up, and we all need our space. Due to Quarantine, getting that space that I wanted was rather hard. It felt like I was having a hard time being able to be alone without someone hearing what I was saying. Not only that, but it was also hard because the conflicts in my family came to become more and more prevalent/ This is due to the fact that things like the college process and transitioning from high school to college seemed to have been made a lot harder. Instead of this Summer being relaxing and giving me room to breathe, it was made into one of the hardest times of my life. The short story titled "I Have Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison captures how I felt during the pandemic. In the story, the characters are trapped underground and are totally helpless to the situation that they find themselves in. In many ways, I felt almost the same way to these characters. I felt like I was trapped in a place that I felt as though I had no control over anything because it was not my domain. Like the narrator of the story, I too felt as though I had no mouth by the end of it all. This is due to the fact that I am not the best at standing up for myself or handling conflicts. Not only that, but I feel like whenever I would try to argue my point, I always felt like nothing would happen. Even if anything did happen that went my way, it always felt like it was not enough to feel like a victory. By the end, it would just reinforce my unwillingness to speak up for myself or to just let things go and allow them to continue. I hope that I will be able to improve things once my time at Suffolk starts and when this Quarantine ends.

I remember the beginning of pandemic in Boston like it was yesterday. Coming back from work I was worried about everyone’s’ and my own future. I had just started a new job at the restaurant that quickly become empty as people preferred to stay home and not take a risk of getting infected after having brunch. Speaking about myself, I was mentally and financially at the lowest point in last 10 years of my life. I saw myself as a foreigner with no future who has to work 17 hours a day, having two – three jobs just to survive. I was afraid to get Covid, to lose my job, to not be able to pay rent. And then lockdown happened. During the first three weeks I’ve lost my job and wasn’t able to collect unemployment. The level of stress was nearly unmanageable. Every day I was on the phone trying to reach out any representative who could help me. Every day was restless and sleepless, until few events that seemed to be magical happened. Firstly, unemployment benefits were made available to me. The amount was $600 more than I thought it would be and I was eligible for a stimulus check too. For many people in USA it wasn’t much money but for me, it was twice what I had been making by working. It also was proof of my belief in paying taxes. I have paid taxes ever since I’ve been employed and always thought that even though I might not have gotten anything from doing so right away, there would come a time when doing so would help me. So, it did and did so because of unexpected circumstances and at a time when I was struggling more than I ever had. The news got even better for me despite what was go on around me. I received a letter I had been waiting for my entire life that told me I had been accepted to Suffolk University. I have always wanted to go to university so receiving this great news at such a hard time meant a great deal to me. I also received a scholarship to Suffolk meaning I could actually attend. I went through a number of life changing events in a very short period of time and all during a complete lockdown when I couldn’t really leave home for weeks at a time. I didn’t feel comfortable to show off my happiness whilst the numbers of cases and deaths were rapidly increasing. Ethically it was wrong from my point of view. But now, when everything seems to be getting better and there’s a hope to win the battle with Covid-19 I’m happy to be where I am and glad to share my happy-ending story with you.

Like most kids, I had dreamed of the day I would walk across the stage to receive my diploma, but due to COVID-19, the Class of 2020 missed out on that moment. I graduated from high school this year and I experienced my final year with a global pandemic. The uncertainty of this pandemic led to the cancelation of our graduation. My peers and I had to say our goodbyes online and our school made a video for our graduation where they called out all our names. However, we would’ve felt happier to have experienced a normal senior year.

The image above shows the window of the Peaks Island Library, where the town celebrated their graduating seniors with a “Congrats class of 2020” sign. Surrounding the banner are the names of the high schools the students attended. Since the shutdown began just months before my class was set to graduate people all over the state have been putting up signs and decorations to give us a celebration. We had virtual commencement speeches, videos, lawn signs, balloons, and free pizzas that in a way made the year more special than a normal walk across the stage.

Masks. In the span of just a few weeks, I went from never having worn one before to wearing one nearly every day. As a person with several autoimmune diseases, COVID-19 poses an existential threat to my health. Masks are not just about being allowed in a grocery store, or avoiding the ridicule of others; they are a matter of survival. I have now amassed quite the collection, partly out of convenience- I never want to find myself without a clean one- and partly out of fear. We are now in the fifth month of COVID restrictions, with a distinct possibility of another five or more to come. What if there is another PPE shortage? What if I become too sick to sew my own? So dutifully I collect, buying and making and sharing, just in case. Written by Meghan E. Donahue, incoming junior at Suffolk University.

The story and personal photograph illustrate my experience as a transfer student during COVID-19. This includes the locations of colleges to which I applied and what factors ultimately led to my decision.

Everyone had to adjust their way of living during this pandemic. COVID brought a lot of challenges with it, for me like for example with preparing for college while also working from home.

As someone who worked 3 jobs in high school, was in 10 clubs, and took AP and honors classes, high school was a never-ending to-do list. I never stopped moving, so quarantine felt like the rest I desperately needed to get to know myself. I had never just done nothing or had the chance to do things simply because I wanted to. After a few months of sleeping in past noon and eating ice cream for breakfast, I ended up learning how to paint which became something I could do just because I enjoyed it, and I had never had that before.

The world stopped. Everything about our daily lives that we loved (even the things we hated) became abnormal. After being sent home abruptly from my study abroad experience, I was aching for something academically stimulating to do with my summer. Internships were cancelled, and the world only seemed to be doing their daily doses of reading through social media. The position to become a Teaching Assistant for a newly created Politics of the Pandemic course fell into my lap. This blessing of a position gave me the chance to not only help a professor teach the national and global problems that COVID-19 brought into the world, but gave me the chance to truly influence the newest class of Suffolk Rams. A year ago, becoming a TA had given me a true, tangible connection to Suffolk, and this summer I got to aid 38 students in finding their own reasons to love the school. Even during a pandemic, when the world seems still, transitions are happening. I consider myself lucky to be a part of so many individual lives and transitions.

Every New Year, I make a promise to myself to try my hand at a new skill. In 2020 I was eager to learn how to embroider. Of course, only a few months into this year, we were slammed with the reality of Covid-19. Many of us felt depressed and isolated. I know that I was feeling especially guilty about all the extra time I had at home but felt no motivation to try and achieve goals that I had set earlier in the year. One day in April I was scrolling Reddit and came across an embroidery group. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had not even attempted to try my hand at embroidery! Lucky for me, I already had the supplies. I sat there a while wondering what to stich. Then the image, we all know so well by now, of the Coronavirus molecule popped up on the Nightly News. I knew that would be my pattern for my first ever attempt at needlepoint. It quickly became a small project that I am very proud of and it is my little souvenir from this crazy year.

2020 was supposed to be a year of exciting events for my family. My brother and I did not get to experience what formal graduation would feel like. A milestone in our lives will forever be missed. My sweet and loving grandfather said to me “I am trying to stay alive to watch you walk across that stage”, did not get to witness his youngest son’s kids graduate high school. On top of that, my parents were broken because they did not get to see their only son and daughter walk the stage. When I say COVID-19 has really impacted my family emotionally, it really did. An opportunity to say to my family that I am so thankful for them for being super supportive and being able to hear them cheer for me as I walk the stage will forever be missed. I remember the moment I received the email that I had gotten accepted into Suffolk. I had just got out of work and in the car on the way home I showed my dad the email and he was jumping with excitement. Due to the pandemic, my parents and I were not given the opportunity to attend a face to face orientation for Suffolk and not having the opportunity to tour Suffolk to be able to get to know my way around the school was really misfortunate. Hopefully, as time goes on and when there is no more COVID-19, we will get a chance to get to know home for the next 4 years.

The reason this photo is so important to me, and could be meaningful to others, is because this was when my mental health began to recover. Many people like myself struggled with mental health issues throughout the pandemic, and this picture was a massive turning point for my well-being.

(note: nothing written here represents the views of the candidates or parties represented here - this is solely the personal memoir of one Nick Cook) Volunteering for a political campaign even during the best of times is a weird experience. Your day to day mission is to knock on the doors of—or call on—complete strangers (or at best someone you have a vague memory of seeing at a rally some time ago) and ask them if they can take a moment out of their complicated and hectic lives to hear from the gospel of whichever chosen candidate you're preaching, in the hope that, in about a week or two they'll still remember enough of your spiel to fill in that person's bubble. The coronavirus has not made that any easier. I do feel, however, that it has created a weird sense of camaraderie in those of us who are still trying to push the gears of democracy in this plague year, or whatever name you media types have christened it. I personally am not the type of person who supports campaigns that can afford to have their faces splashed across TV screens and names plastered on billboards. Doorknocking and trying to love thy neighbor is—to me—still the best way to do the business of democracy. I entered politics because I wanted to have some sense of control of my life and community. To make the lives of the people around me just a little easier and a little less anxiety free. So that maybe one day no kid is going to have to come home to an empty refrigerator and no one will ever have to experience the pain of living paycheck by paycheck again. Seeing that lightbulb on people's faces when I talk to them about a candidate or that little smile on their face as I wave goodbye and thank them for their time is why I do this. It's knowing that maybe I made a little change for the day. So coronavirus taking that away from me was hard. I'd like to say that my doubts about campaigning digitally were actually wrong and one day I had a really fulfilling phone call with a voter where we both connected with each other in these lonely times or I had an incredibly amazing Zoom session that changed everything. But I didn't. It's just been a very taxing time that I'm pushing through because I can't stand sitting alone at the house with my thoughts anymore. In the week or so leading up to the election, I got the chance to do at least a little in-person campaigning. Waving and holding signs on street corners, putting literature in doorways, that kind of thing. As well as the chance to stand socially-distanced outside of polling places on primary election day. The people I met on the campaign trail here were just as tired and ready for things to change as I was. One State House candidate compared this campaign season to running for office in a cave and that about summed it up for me. Seeing Tanya Vyhovsky, a social worker and therapist, win her primary election to represent my neighboring town of Essex was also the first real-time I felt joy. Someone who comes from that background and experience and isn't just another lawyer or landlord and has a truly transformative vision for society winning is always great to see. Similarly my home state of Vermont also likely elected Taylor Small, our first transgender lawmaker, and someone who shares that vision. Seeing these victories and meeting everyone who pushed for them along the way has renewed me with a new sense of life in the political realm. Campaigning in the age of COVID has also begun to truly impart on me the lesson that democracy doesn't just come from the ballot box but needs to be expanded into our workplaces, community gatherings, and social lives. However, this is a story for another time. (Join your local union and mutual aid society!)

In the heat of one of the most consequential Presidential Campaigns, both President Trump and Vice President Biden still have to get their deliver their messages of the future to the American people. Vice President Biden has headed warning of the virus and switched to a campaign that mitigates the risk of spreading the virus: online events and restricted in-person events that follow social distancing and mask rules for the speakers and news there. Meanwhile, President Trump has insisted on holding his rallies with no precautions in place, thus resulting in lower than expected turnout. For the average American, who sees campaigns as a race to kiss the most babies and shake the most hands, this race is far from normal. However, both of the candidates have still been getting extreme news coverage, and many people are seeing more to politics as a result of staying home.

When their in-person service-learning experience was short-lived due to the coronavirus, Suffolk University students continued their community-based efforts remotely by creating care packages that included food, books, and mental health information. The goal of the new Head, Health, and Heart initiative was to provide underserved children and teens with the most fundamental needs in order to survive, and 200 of the neediest families from four Boston public schools benefited.

My laptop died, so I headed to Sawyer Library in search of a replacement laptop, a much needed item in this COVID time. With only a select few stores open and selling electronics and with no inventory due to manufacturing restrictions, I was forced into the possibility of borrowing one from the library. Passing through security, I noticed that Tom, who said he never left, still collects the university's newspapers, which are piling up. The newspapers behind him belong to other depts. on campus. Meanwhile, the library's newspapers sit in buckets around the corner waiting to be claimed. I call these piles "Fort COVID".

Eighty percent of Massachusetts residents support Gov. Baker's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 96 percent supporting school closures, 94 percent approving the halt of restaurant dining-in, 93 percent supporting the shuttering of bars, and 92 percent agreeing that nonessential businesses should be closed to the public, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll.

Psychology Professor David Langer also notes that self-care is one of the first steps in being prepared to care for one's children. "Caring for yourself not only makes it easier to care for your children and care for others, it also models for children that self-care is important. He also advises: "Two key things that have enormous benefits for mental and physical health and well-being are physical activity and spending time outside. As of right now, guidelines still allow for families to take walks, hikes, bike rides, and do other outdoor activities together while maintaining appropriate distance from others. These are behaviors parents can model and encourage that will benefit everyone. In addition to physical activity and outside time, take time to do enjoyable things like playing games and pursuing hobbies."

Psychology Professor Susan Orsillo offers advice for practicing mindfulness amid the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19, and anxiety expert David Langer, also on the Psychology faculty, has tips for families as they cope with a host of fears and responsibilities during the coronavirus pandemic. "It is natural for us to feel anxious about COVID-19, given how quickly our routines have become disrupted," says Orsillo. "Many people are struggling with significant challenges: the illness of a friend or relative, financial struggles, balancing childcare with work, loneliness, and the disappointment of canceled plans. Practicing mindfulness involves acknowledging that these stressors are real and painful and being kind to ourselves."

Like their public safety colleagues across the nation, the men and women of the Suffolk University Police Department are balancing caring for their community and their families. "We still have a job to do to take care of people and their needs," said Lt. Ramon Nunez. "We have to pick each other up and have a positive mindset that we're going to get through this together." "I tell her that police officers are like superheroes in the community and that our job is to go out and help other people." Patrol Officer Gisela Rodrigues' daughter sometimes gets a bit nervous when it's time for her mom to go to work, but the officer knows how to calm her.

Like students, faculty, and staff, the IT team is adjusting to new working conditions, yet the group remains resolute in its mission. Dahlia Bryan personifies what it's like for many members of the University community working from home. She's operating out of an attic office, flanked by her two young sons who are doing schoolwork. But when someone needing tech support calls, "I put my headset on and tell the boys that 'mommy has to work and to keep quiet,' but there are times when I know the people I'm talking with can hear them in the background." said Bryan.

While Patriot's Day traditions are on hold this year due to the coronavirus, Monday remains a holiday. There are no classes scheduled, and Suffolk employees are off for the day. But history buffs will miss the traditional reenactment of "the shot heard 'round the world," and "Marathon Monday" is postponed until September. Professor Kathryn Lasdow, director of Suffolk's Public History concentration, explains the ties between the marathon and the commemorations in Lexington and Concord and offers some ideas for celebrating the holiday virtually.

Jen Raichle, MHA '21, is an EMT who recently joined Fallon SPRINT (Special Pathogens Response & Incident Navigation Team), which, working with Partners HealthCare, has implemented a new Covid-19 at-home test. She and her partner were able to conduct 10 tests on patients in a number of Greater Boston communities one recent morning and then deliver the tests to Brigham & Women's Hospital.

Students in Suffolk Law's 12 legal clinics are still representing clients even though courts in Massachusetts are closed for all but emergency cases. That means student attorneys are still busy at work--whether asking the court to issue a restraining order or helping to ensure that landlords are not resorting to illegal lockouts.

More than 100 student-run clubs and organizations, including the Student Government Association, the Suffolk Journal, and the Program Council, are continuing their efforts amid the current COVID-19 pandemic. Even the Performing Arts Office's SpringFest show will go on. "There is no playbook in this unprecedented time, and I'm so proud of our student leaders who have stepped up to provide some normalcy with their student organizations and continue to support the out-of-classroom experience," said Assistant Dean/Director of Student Leadership and Involvement Dave DeAngelis.

Studio art classes would seem to present a particular remote learning challenge. Yet professors like Audrey Goldstein are sharing ideas in nationwide online forums and then implementing ideas for maintaining a vibrant educational experience for student artists. One way students and professors stay connected is through one-on-one video critiques that follow Zoom class meetings

Science lab courses are continuing, so professors are finding a wide variety of ways to conduct them virtually. Creation of online Physics labs was accelerated when signs of a pandemic appeared; an astronomy lab that was to take place in the Canary Islands went online, an ecology lab shifted gears so students could study nature at home, and more. "We are doing our best to reach the same learning goals, but it requires a lot of creativity and hard work," said Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Melanie Berkmen.

Far from sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the world to return to normal--or assume the shape of a new normal--Suffolk writing and theater faculty are using the pandemic as a teachable moment and bringing their varied expertise to bear in the effort to improve society's resilience in the face of the current health crisis

The pandemic has created critical needs for the families at Christopher's Haven, a temporary home for those whose children are undergoing cancer care at Boston hospitals. Students in Professor Jessica Mak's Cancer Care course--who had been helping the organization as part of their semester-long service learning project--have stepped in to deliver groceries, raise funds for essential supplies, and spread cheer remotely. "Suffolk students always go above and beyond to support and celebrate our Christopher's Haven families. Now, when our families are feeling so isolated, it means a lot to know the students are still thinking about them," says Catie MacWilliams from Christopher's Haven.

For nearly half a century the Suffolk community has gathered to celebrate Suffolk arts and culture with a fun-filled variety show. The show has taken a variety of formats over the year and at one time even featured a baking competition. This year, for the first time ever, SpringFest will be happening in homes around the world. Find out where to tune in for the show at 7 p.m. Friday, April 24. "We made a 'show-must-go-on' decision," said Suffolk Performing Arts Director Kristin Baker. "We reached out to students, faculty, staff, and alumni across the globe, and they have responded to the call. In a lot of ways, this event has showcased who we are at Suffolk, honoring our traditions while being flexible enough to adapt to new circumstances. We are creatively pulling together as a community to support one another."

Forty-five percent of voters fault the government's response to the economic fallout from coronavirus as not enough; 36 percent said it has been adequate; and 10 percent said there has been too much government involvement.

The survey examined the economic fallout from the pandemic in Massachusetts, the extension of the stay-at-home advisory and closing of nonessential businesses, state and national leadership during the pandemic, perceptions about compliance with wearing masks and social distancing, comfort levels for resuming certain activities, and mail-in voting.

Jon Lee, English, examines social phenomena such as conspiracy theories and fake "cures" that arise during times of widespread illness. "We essentially have two different narratives running in an epidemic," Lee says. "One is the official medical narrative, which tells you where [the disease] came from, when a vaccine might be possible. But you also have the cultural narrative, which runs alongside--but often counter to--the medical narrative."

Even without face-to-face contact, Suffolk students continue to work with elementary pupils through service-learning tutoring courses. The Suffolk students are learning about community building, critical thinking, project management skills, and, given the circumstances, innovation.

Suffolk faculty encourage people of all ages to explore and record the world around them, and with the coronavirus keeping so many at home, opportunities abound for those interested in joining a growing movement toward citizen science. "Some people want to do science because they're concerned about what is happening in the environment, and they want to have a positive impact. Some are naturally curious about the world around them," says Professor Patricia Hogan, director of Suffolk's Center for Urban Ecology & Sustainability. She sees a role for people who are not trained in science.

It is a sign left at the Reference Desk at the end of the last day of in-person Reference service. There were still 175 students who remained on campus, as well as a few faculty. On March 18th all library service moved online, and the physical space of the library was closed.

Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic

Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic

Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic