Items
topic_interest is exactly
Brooklyn
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2019-09
Covid-19 Changed my Life
The item that I am a submitting is a short summary of my experience during Covid-19 -
2020-08-15
The 'KMT' Transformation
The pandemic, although ironic, was a positive transformation relative to my personal development. Coming from a state of repetitiveness with a boring senior year of high school and waiting tables at an Italian restaurant, the pandemic allowed an elongated state of decompression and self-actualization. This photo here highlights the entire experience. On April 29th, 2020, my two friends and I took advantage of the beautiful spring weather and headed out to the soccer fields with our masks, gloves, and 6 feet distancing. After 4 months of hard work and consistency, by August 29th, 2020 we created an online soccer platform inspiring and benefiting over 130,000 soccer players tuning in. Through this experience of digital marketing, but at the same time pursuing a passion and enjoying the moment, I learned more about the world and myself. The photograph is a picture of my 2 friends and I at the field where it all happened while styling our personal brand merchandise depicting the name of 'KMT Training'. P.S., KMT is our 3 nickname initials. -
2020-05-29
Verazzano Bridge
Taking daily walks during the pandemic didn’t make me feel “healthy” or “well-adjusted”. I watched the way my neighbors and I would pull our masks up when we passed each other on the street. Saddening, on one hand; a show of communal care, on the other. I think it’s human to want to pull a silver lining out of a tragedy and I guess the silver lining here is that I had time to s l o w down and look at my community, not just the people, but the signs on storefronts, dishes of cat food next to porches, and yes, the outline of the Verazzano peeking out through the clouds hovering over Belt Parkway. I used to walk on this walkway when I was a child too, and though the pandemic has changed everything, the fishermen are still here, their rods propped against the rail. People are still riding tandem bikes. Still laughing, talking, breathing in the salty air. -
2020-04
Saved
The pandemic has not only been a devastating experience but a time of reflection. -
2020-03-13
In the Blink of An Eye
Maybe if quarantine lasts three weeks, we’ll have spring break before we go back to class, I wistfully think to myself. It’s already March 13th of 2020, but the air is still nippy and my mom still makes me wear that atrocious parka. She’s been hearing all these reports about the coronavirus, and I think it’s releasing her inner germaphobe. My school day finishes off like any other, except I have to stay behind for AP Biology review, like who has review two months before an exam? Following an hour full of practice problems, workbooks, and texting my friends under my desk, it’s finally time to go home. The talk of the school is if Xaverian plans on closing for quarantine, following the footsteps of nearly every other Catholic school in the city. But I don’t even take two steps out of my desk before my iPad pings with an email. One by one, we all find out that Xaverian will be closed for the foreseeable future, and that online learning will commence on Monday. I picture using this new interface, Zoom, for class. A feeling of exhilaration grows in my chest. I can already picture it: no uniforms, and no restrictions—just a newfound capacity for freedom. Our group parades towards the lockers, gossiping while packing up our books and putting on our coats. The moment doesn’t feel real; it feels like I’m floating, suspended in the joyful innocence of being a high school senior. With our navy and khaki skirts swishing around our legs, knees exposed to the frigid air, my three friends and I begin the trek home through Bay Ridge, blissfully ignorant to the fact that it would be the very last time we ever put those uniforms back on, or that it would be three months before we saw each other next. How naïve we were walking home that day, discussing how fun and convenient online learning would be. We chat about prom dress shopping, boys, and how funny it would be to take AP exams online—not realizing that prom would be canceled, and that we would take those exams online. It was my last day of normal, the last day before everything changed for good. Three months later, I graduated high school from my porch, wistfully smiling as I was handed a trophy for becoming the Salutatorian of Xaverian High School’s Class of 2020. The following week in June, I stand on those same steps in funeral clothes, wondering how everything changed in the blink of an eye. Not even seven days after graduation, my grandma passes away alone at Staten Island University Hospital, unable to be accompanied by her family because of COVID-19. It comes out of the blue; she feels fatigued and lethargic, but refuses to get medical attention until the very last moment because of possible exposure to the virus. By the time she arrives at the hospital, they admit her in stable condition, but she never makes it through the night. As of June 20th, 2020, 176,066 Americans are dead from the coronavirus. My grandma didn’t have it, but I can’t help counting her as the 176,067th life taken away by this disease. Because of COVID-19, she skipped her doctor’s appointments, and lived in complete isolation to avoid contracting the virus. Yet in the end, it is the virus that indirectly takes her away, preventing any of her loved ones from being present in her final moments. Nearly three years later since that last day of high school, on February 21st, 2023, I can reflect on how much my life has changed. COVID-19 went on to rob me of my first two years at Brooklyn College–I spent them cooped up in my bedroom on Zoom, not meeting my newfound friends until my junior year of college. COVID-19 influenced me in my choice to be a Health and Nutrition Science major, as I hope to learn more about preventing disease and use my knowledge to make me a better physician in the future. Millions have now died from COVID-19, and my version of “normal” has forever changed. Three years ago, the future seemed bleak and dire. I still wear a mask on the train, but now I see hope in the future because of our vaccine development and how normalized it’s become to talk about public health. I can only hope that as time goes on, humanity works together to regain a sense of normalcy. -
2022-04-08
Wear a mask if you are...
This is an Instagram post by thehesbrooklyn. This is a PSA advising you when you should wear a mask. Some of the things it say to wear a mask for include: feeling sick, indoor public settings, unvaccinated, immunocompromised, high risk group, around unvaccinated, etc. The first point I find the most interesting because it marks a change in culture due to the virus. Prior to the virus, people I know wouldn't really wear a mask if they felt sick. Now, if some are feeling under the weather, they will wear masks. Considering this is a PSA for New York City, it is a place with some that has had some restrictions much longer than other parts of the United States. According to a relevant article linked with this post, New York City did not drop most COVID restrictions until March 7, 2022. Comparatively, my own state of Arizona had most restrictions lifted on March 25, 2021. Though, much like New York City, some businesses still require masks out of their own choice. As we see here, this PSA for Brooklyn is encouraging people to still wear masks even if some restrictions have been lifted. -
2022-04-07
Be a Vaccine Hero
This is an Instagram post by thehesbrooklyn. This is a post encouraging children to get vaccinated. This post has a link to the New York City government website on more information on COVID. The picture shows a little girl dressed as a super hero as part of the PSA. -
2020-02-12
COVID-19 Reflection: Local Businesses
The COVID-19 pandemic obviously played a major role in everyone’s life around the world. My life, the lives of those around me, and my neighborhood has drastically changed from when the pre-pandemic to today. My daily life including my school, work, and social life have completely changed. One thing I saw greatly affected by the pandemic were businesses. Many small, local businesses everywhere struggled with regulations and inability to afford rent, resources, and employees. While some online businesses as well as larger corporations like Amazon have thrived due to the pandemic. I live in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and my neighborhood is full of many restaurants, bars, and local businesses. During the pandemic I saw many businesses struggle and even permanently close due to the pandemic and the government’s COVID regulations. I experienced this personally at my job. For about 8 months prior to the start of the pandemic I worked as a barista at a coffee shop. I remember first hearing about this unknown virus while working but had no idea how much it would end up affecting the store. Not even two weeks later I found out my job had to temporarily close, just like most other restaurants and businesses in New York City. The coffee shop, along with the two other locations the owner had in Bay Ridge, ended up permanently closing. He no longer runs this business at all. Luckily I was able to receive unemployment benefits for a while due to losing my job there. As well as this business, I saw many businesses I know struggle. A health food store called Appletree right down my block, which my family and I have been going to since I was born, struggled greatly with affording rent and resources due to their loss in sales during the pandemic. A few months ago they also permanently closed. I remember seeing the barber shop by my house, which is normally full of people, always empty with no customers. It was upsetting to see local businesses like these forced to close when many of these business owners and employees rely on their sales to support themselves and their families. I also remember many restaurants struggling with regulations that were put into place once they were allowed to open. I saw local restaurants receiving extreme fines and forced to close or not serve alcohol due to their issues with the COVID regulations. I think many restaurant owners could not afford to stay open if they followed all strict regulations, but this ended up hurting them even before due to the fines and tickets they received. I now see my neighborhood much more busy and many businesses that did survive the pandemic and are somewhat flourishing now. This is nice to see and for the sake of these business owners, I hope it remains this way. -
2020-03-10
Goodbye Grandma
This text I wrote is in memory of my grandma, and the horrible and traumatic flashbacks of Covid 19. This experience took a huge toll on me and my family. -
2020-03-15
Corona virus 2020
During the beginning of 2020 everything seemed so fine. I was in school had started a new job at a plumbing company, was occasionally going out with my girlfriend. On top of making money, going to school, i was also hitting a gym and was super happy with my progress in every aspect of my life. All of this was good until, news about how a deadly virus was making its way into the United states from china and how bad it was going to be. Like everyone else i was petrified and i thought there's no way china would let a virus escape they're a powerhouse of a nation. But it did, I remember classes were shut down and shortly after my job was shut down as well, everyone, put in unemployment. During this time my parents had closed on a house and we had become homeowners. During quarantine i remember having to go to our new home and fixing it up everyday monday through sunday so while everyone was at home, doing nothing. My uncles, cousins, father and i were masked up just working in our home. But no matter how far apart we were on different floors and different days, we all got sick. We all also quickly recovered. The covid 19 pandemic didnt have a huge impact on me as much as it did for others. I know a lot of people close to me who lost their loved ones during the pandemic and its truly saddening. My progress with my daily life was lost, school that semester felt like a blur everyone was confused and scared, the gyms were closed, my jobs were closed. I remember hating my life at this moment in time because it felt like i wasn't doing anything but fixing our new family home which i wasn't eager to move in to. Once my jobs lifted in the beginning of june, i quickly picked up my tools and went back into work. -
2020-04-01
COVID-19 Through My Eyes
The item that I am submitting is the story of my experience of Covid-19, what my family and I went through and how we have pushed forward and persevered despite the many difficult challenges we faced the past year. This is important to me as it tells my story through my point of view, my journey through what I consider to be the hardest moments of my life. -
2020-12-09
Life in the Pandemic
My life in the pandemic was tough. I couldn't work so I was not able to pay my bills, I like the rest of the world during lockdown had to sit at home bored out of my mind because nobody could leave. I was very scared for my mom when she got covid because she had oxygen issues and also heart issues. Going to school during the pandemic really bothered me because I lost a lot of focus and became very lazy when it came to handing in assignments. I would rather physically go onto campus because when I am actually listening to the professors' talk, it makes it so much easier to understand and to focus. -
2021-03-12
A Long Week
Text Submission about my personal experience with COVID. -
2020-03-13
my covid experience
My covid experience this year is probably a lot like others. I've lost family members to this pandemic my close friends lost loved ones as well. There are a plethora of people I know who have lost their jobs, gained severe diagnosis of anxiety and also depression. Being stuck in the house for all those months with family was a very strenuous task and it was also very debilitating as well. While the covid outbreak started my family and I were sent into a frenzy mentally and physically. My mother lost her job due to the pandemic and I had to pick up more hours at work and do other side jobs to somewhat help with the expenses as well also during this pandemic i was also in school. Attending Brooklyn College during the pandemic was a very difficult thing to do especially due to the fact that we had transitioned to online learning, something I or my teachers haven't really done in some time. The social distance learning that was implemented was a very difficult concept to grasp because one day we go from attending class everyday to the bombardment of information being thrown at us and us as students expected to keep up and also the teachers having to make sure they kept up with the requirements. School, going to work and worrying about the well being of others and myself put me into a state of worry at all times sort've giving me mild ptsd. I hope that this time next year this covid situation will be gone and we can go back to living the way we were. -
2019-04-16
The one where we were quarantined
quarantine has truly been an experience like no other although there has been plenty bad there has also been some good I enjoyed being able to be home with my family more and get to bond on another level much like how we did when we are younger we got to do things like bake, tie dye and watch movies I do wish it was under different circumstances but none the less I am happy I was able to be with my family. -
2020-03-28
B.I.G Changes
During Quarantine, I began my online small business. I took this opportunity to share my art with the world and make it accessible to people who are looking to buy. I started with this painting that was immediately sold and that is what made me start my own art page. -
2020-07-04
Podcast In a Pandemic
During the pandemic, I've decided to create a podcast with my friends discussing relationships and social issues relating to men and women in their 20s. The idea came to us after we decided to turn our daily debates into content -
2021-02-19
‘Bet on you’: Brooklyn yarn shop owner spins childhood hobby into burgeoning business, empowering crafters of color
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Felicia Stenhouse Eve has seen business for her yarn store from around the world. Felica hopes her store, String Thing Studio, empowers Black crafters and entrepreneurs. -
2021-02-19
Looking back at 2020 - A COVID 19 infested year
As a student in my last semester in Brooklyn college, I was looking forward to an easy semester with electives since I was done with all of my major classes. However, a downfall for me was that there was a very interesting internship which I wanted to proceed with but couldn’t because the program was no longer available because of budget issues that were caused by the coronavirus. This internship was going to provide me with an insight of what my career will look like but that never happened. As an employee of the city of New York, I was still required to work in some form. For example, instead of coming to work physically we transformed our workplace to “zoom” meeting where our work would be done in 2-4 hours and we would still get paid for 8 hours. I saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of since I heard other employees who requested to still show up physically and were dropping like flies with the corona virus, one after another. However, mid-year, around June or July, employees were required to help out in other agencies such as the 311 center because of the increase of food shortages and other aid citizens needed. Eventually, in September we were allowed to go back to work physically – something I was looking forward to since I was more comfortable being where I knew the place and the people. Mentally and physically, COVID 19 prevented me and many others from staying physically active which led to me gaining unhealthy weight. It was a nonstop binge of eating and just sitting down. Granted, there were opportunities to go out for a walk or work out in the park – but those were chances that I wasn’t going to take because I knew I have a mother with underlying conditions which I had to do everything to prevent her from getting the virus. One thing that I did learn to do during these times is to cut and trim my own hair. Also, this was a perfect time for me to enhance my skills in freehand sketching since thats something I'm good at. Nevertheless, COVID 19 was an experience like no other that everyone had to grow through, and we continue to just learn and grow from it. -
2020-05-09
Self-portrait with mask, May 2020
During the pandemic, I often walk in Brooklyn's historic Green-Wood Cemetery with its rolling hills, lovely views, and fantastic old monuments; it's also where my grandparents are buried. I've always loved the beautiful, timeless melancholy of the place, but during the pandemic, it was also a strange comfort to read the headstones and think of the people buried all around me. Life, sickness, crisis, death are all just part of being human. These dead humans also lived, suffered, died, and now it's just another version of the same thing. The self-portrait included here is based on a photo I took of myself in Green-Wood as I wandered there one day in April 2020, looking to get away from lockdown and to find company among the graves. -
2020-03
Racism during COVID-19 for minorities
The material presents racism during the Pandemic and how it has affected people from different racial communities like Hispanic Latinos, Asians, and African Americans. -
2020-10-01
Performing Arts Lives On
With permission from the original poster I wanted to share my friends’ story. Being in the Performing arts has been tough for him since COVID hit, he had a show that was supposed to run right in the midst of COVID and in perfect artistic manner they found a way to make it happen. They held their show in a park and everyone (including the performers) wore masks. In his post he shares the magic of performing arts. -
2020-07
#CancelRent And Eviction Blockades in Brooklyn: Black Queer Women and Femmes Fight for the Right to Housing
Im submitting an auto-ethnogrpahy I completed this summer about the housing movement during covid. -
2020-04
Coping with Quarantine
I must say 2020 so far was not what I expected it to be. I began Brooklyn College on January 30th, 2020 for spring semester after taking a 10 year break from when I received my associate’s degree.I enjoyed getting back into the swing of things and coming to campus, making new friends and getting to know my Professor’s and engaging in my classes. This was a new routine me and it was exciting but challenging as well, between work, home life and taking five classes to say I was super busy was an understatement. When I first heard of the Corona Virus and what was happening in China, the resilient New Yorker in me thought “ this is NYC that won’t happen to us, we are fine “ but I was wrong. I was truly blindsided when the virus started spreading and became a world wide pandemic. Sadly I realized that it was serious when the mass hysteria began and I could not find toilet paper, hand sanitizer and everyday cleaning products. Shortly after, College became remote and I found myself unemployed. My busy, hectic, challenging and exciting new routine suddenly came to a stop, but I would soon realize the blessing in disguise with this quarantine. I was now home with my Sixteen year old Son and we were both learning from home. It was not easy for me, I soon noticed that I learn better in a class setting. I found it difficult to give my full attention to my Professor’s and my assignments but I pulled through and found the discipline to pass all my classes. During the quarantine I needed to find ways to make life interesting for myself, my Son and Fiancé. We started spring cleaning early, I started cooking takeout dishes that we missed, such as Chinese fried rice and Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding, and I even learned how to dye my roots blond. My family and I were blessed to not be affected by Covid-19 personally and the quarantine did bring us closer together and although 2020 was not what I expected I am thankful and blessed for what it has given me and I hope that we all can only move forward and I pray there won’t be a second wave. God Bless us all. -
2020-04-01
Surviving the Front-Line of Covid-19
This story is about my experience working in a NYC hospital - being on the front-line as the pandemic hits NYC. It is important for me to tell, so that everyone is aware of how unprepared we were. Had we prepared, we could have saved lives. -
2020
The Year(s) of COVID
I did not expect 2020 to turn out this way, I had a year of travels planned and a summer of adventures. I remember telling patients at the pharmacy I work at that things will be fine, we just need to a little cautious but I was wrong, it seemed almost routine that we started getting phone calls informing us a patient passed away. Scrolling through any platform, I would come across a familiar face that is now gone. It became numbing when I found myself rubbing my skin raw in the shower after working 10 hour shifts, the mask tan was humorous at first now it is a little saddening this is the reality. I remember watching the news in April with my family and going "wow only 700 people died today" and wondered if that was the new reality. Sometimes all of this feels so surreal, is it really happening? I want to remain optimistic but it seems almost impossible when things never seem to get any better. This is our new normal, life before COVID will never return. -
2020-04
A Year I Will Never Forget
2020 started off a great year for me, I was so excited to turn 21 and envisioned this amazing year where I would travel, meet new people, etc. However quickly that dream ended, working in a pharmacy I was always on edge about the virus especially when the cases were spiking which caused this worry inside my family and I. I worried about my two immunocompromised parents mostly, what would happen to them if they got sick? Would I be the reason they did so? Would I bring home something from the pharmacy? Fortunately my family is safe and healthy but I wasn't, what I assumed was just a cold turned out to be one of the worst experiences of my life. I couldn't believe I had COVID-19, I was taking all precautions and yet it was inevitable thought I will never forget this birthday; celebrating turning 21 with COVID and eating ice cream cake in my pajamas. I was grateful I ended up recovering but it was devastating when I would hear almost weekly someone I knew had passed away whether it be a friend, patient, a familiar face. Sometimes I can't wrap my head around all of this happening, we have been in quarantine for over six months and it seems like there will be no end to this either. I want to remain optimistic and look forward to things but it so hard to when everything seems almost draining. The small things that once brought us to ease seems to be so far away now. -
2020-09-27
Growing Up
Hello! I am a 20 year old college student who has been afraid to face the responsibilities the world has for me. I always thought "I'm not ready for responsibility. I can barely take care of myself." Due to this, I always procrastinated on real life tasks outside of school, and depended on my parent. However, COVID-19 came and changed my reality. Everything went remote, and my parent was left facing unemployment. My sick grandmother could no longer get the care she needed, and there was no family member nearby that could help with her wellbeing. It became chaotic. At that very moment, I realized it no longer mattered how I felt about being ready for responsibilities. Majority of people were not "ready", but it became demanded of them to do what they needed to do. Ready or not, I needed to do what I needed to do. After being with myself in silence and calming my nerves, I realized that there were people who needed me to be there to help them, people that I love and care about. I was scared at first to take on such a big burden. I'm a full time student taking more credits than normal, I took up a full time job in order to make sure I took care of my parent, my grandmother, and myself, and I also needed to move out of the home I grew up into a whole other town in order to take care of my grandmother. In all honesty, I was scared. Here I am a young adult, who has not had major responsibilities, being brought into a situation where others depend on me to take charge essentially. This is all taking place in the middle of a pandemic, so it is vital that I am extra cautious, especially living with someone immunocompromised. Despite the uncertainties of what is to come each day, I have learned about myself and what I am actually capable of. Although COVID has brought about countless tragedies, some of which I've experienced, it has allow me to become a stronger, more dependable person for others who will later need me to aid them in any circumstances. It is still a learning process. -
2020-03
The Poster
I am submitting my experience with learning about the truth behind environmental racism, how Covid 19 amplified these injustices, and how I got involved. -
2020-03-26
The day it all went south
From the beginning of quarantine till now the simple, everyday things I used to do has now become a difficult. Such examples would be going to the bodega or going to my therapy appointments or even going to work. There’s now so many extra steps and protocols as if my job wasn’t already stressful enough. While I personally haven’t been affected by corona virus in terms of health, I can still say that it has turned everything upside down. I still can hang out with friends but I’ve missed so many events that I was looking forward to. Anime event to birthday event, all of those experiences missed. The biggest thing about COVID for me was that it showed me just how selfish and ignorant others are by not only people refusing to wear masks but some even denying it’s existence. -
2020-03-15
A very COVID year.
My nightmare began in March when the government announced that most businesses would be closed due to the pandemic. The day before, I went to a party and I enjoyed myself. Little did I know that things would begin to change drastically. I heard very few things about COVID-19 before the lockdown, all I knew was that it was a respiratory illness and that the first case was found in China. I never thought that it would’ve made its way to America so quickly. As time went on, the days got even more scary. Schools, malls, stores and even supermarkets were closed. Reality hit when I saw how the cases were spiking in NYC. My job was temporarily closed so I was at home whilst doing my remote learning studies for nearly 3 months. I was so overwhelmed and exhausted mentally. Even though I did not leave my house, my mother and sister did everyday because they were essential workers. Every morning they left, I would panic, I was scared that they would catch the virus in the hospital and bring it home to me. My thoughts began to consume me, especially being home alone all day and watching the news. Hundreds of people were dying and the hospitals were full. Nurses and doctors were also dying. I remember watching the news and hearing about how many bodies there were. The morgues were full and they had to use freezer trucks to temporarily store the bodies. Watching the news every day made me anxious and sick to my stomach. Every night I would pray that the cases would decrease so that we could return to normal life. This pandemic is simply the most mind-racking experience of my life. I learned to appreciate life. Even though we are technically still in a pandemic, the cases are dropping and businesses are slowly opening. I just hope that we can soon resume life without masks and worry. -
2020-09-25
The Rippling Effects of COVID-19
COVID-19 came as a shock to everyone. No one could have predicted the rippling effects it has had in everyone's lives. This pandemic impacts all kinds of people- young, old, single, married, rich, and poor. It is the common thread among all of us. It is what binds us together during this difficult time. This time will never be forgotten. It will be written in textbooks and taught to future generations. Many families are going through a hard time. Who knew a virus could infiltrate people’s lives like this and flip them upside down? No one saw this coming. Many families are struggling financially including mine. We weren’t prepared for this. We thought it will all blow over soon enough. Unfortunately, we were wrong. First, my school closed. Then, my job place closed. Then, my gym closed. It seemed as if the whole world was shutting down right before my eyes, slowly stripping the things I love the most. The thought of being trapped in the house, all day, every day, for who knows how long, gave me anxiety. Slowly, life began to become very boring. Waking up knowing that you’re trapped in the house. Curfews were put up in my city. It’s like we were little kids and the Government was our parents trying to protect us from the monster- COVID 19. I suddenly had so much free time on my hands and didn’t know what to do with it. I decided to pick up some new hobbies. I tried everything. From painting to reading. It was a crazy time for all of us. When we were finally allowed out, I was so happy. Happy that everything will go back to normal, happy that I could get my old life back, happy that I could leave my house again. However, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. We had to wear masks, gloves, and maintain six feet apart between people. I remember the first time I went out in months. Everyone had covered faces and only eyes of sadness and fear were able to be seen. We all looked the same, yet on the inside we were different, each of us experiencing the impacts of the pandemic in a different way. I was shocked. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a virus, something that is not visible to the naked eye, has turned our lives upside down and forced us to deal with the consequences. As of now, September 2020, life is somewhat what it used to be, but it will never return back to the way we’ve known. The fact that this has become our new reality, is kind of scary. But we are not out of the clear yet, there’s still so much work to do. We have to cooperate with all the guidelines and stick together. Especially during these difficult times, together we are stronger. This is all my own interpretation of the times we live in now and how it has impacted me and changed our lives forever. -
2020-03-14
Time of uncertainty and uncharted territory
March 14. That was the date everything became real. COVID-19 had personally reached my life. My restaurant, my livelihood was gone and I found myself scared for my safety, my well being and I wondered how I was going to survive this pandemic with no income. My family and loved ones were in Los Angeles, CA, my birthplace. They all encouraged me to "come home" but I vowed to stay in New York, the place I had been calling home for the previous three years. Once I received the email from the general manager of my restaurant, I felt as if my world had shattered and I realized New York City was going on lockdown. As one of the most eccentric places to live, we have been hit the hardest by this virus, arguably more than anyone in the world. Six months later, with 200,000 American lives lost and counting we are still in the midst of this global pandemic. There have been moments of fear, unification, division, perseverance, and love among other things. Looking forward, I hope there is a means to this end and as we arrive there we treat each other with the love and respect that we each deserve. -
2020-09-18
Metamorphosis
This is a story why Online education is not the same as in-Person education that COVID took AWAY FROM US -
2020-08-31
From Ahuehuetitla to Brooklyn: Life under the COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump Administration
Using autoethnography as the method of research, this paper explores the fears and anxieties exacerbated in the Latinx community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through narrative snapshots, I depict how the pandemic worsened due to policy meant to limit undocumented Latinx immigrants’ access to health services. By focusing on the evolution of the public charge, this project depicts the ways the Trump administration’s hateful rhetoric and racist policies exacerbate the fear, life-threatening conditions, and long-lasting trauma on undocumented Latinx immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Closing in on one Brooklyn family’s navigation of the 2020 political climate, worsening pandemic, working-class realities, and immigration system, I take you through the present realities often left unseen by mainstream media. -
2020-08
The Real Pandemic: How America Believed The Coronavirus Proved the Existence of Educational Inequity
Several articles seek to expand the conversation of educational inequity during the pandemic in New York City public schools, however many exclude key aspects of inequality that predate the pandemic. This narrative acknowledges and challenges notions that use the pandemic to explain the inequality. It is not only my personal experience throughout the pandemic, but also the experiences around public education of me, my students, and co-workers. Amplifying the necessity for leadership, mental health, and technology to combat the concerns of racial and class retraumatization, the aspiration and achievement gap, and other aspects of inequity. In this analysis, we transform ideas about inequality in relation to [rather than caused by] the pandemic and challenge readers to think about solutions in a different way.