Items

• 
  2025-02-01

  Hiking Boots

  If COVID had not happened, I would not own these hiking boots. As lockdown stretched into the late spring and summer of 2020, my friends and I missed being able to see each other. We lived in Vermont at the time, which was both politically and socially strict on social distancing and masking protocol to limit the spread of COVID in the state. In order to spend time together, three of my friends and I started hiking at least once a week, as this allowed us to be together while also being socially distanced. Prior to the pandemic, none of us had been particularly interested in outdoor physical activities like hiking, and we were not in particularly good shape. By the end of the summer, we had all hiked at least 200 cumulative miles. As winter crept in, we did not want to stop hiking. The microspikes next to the hiking boots allowed us to continue hiking together and remain social through the lonely winter months. The second picture was taken on February 21, 2021. It is of two of my friends taking a break on one of our winter hikes. They both have masks around their ears which they would put on when another person passed us on the trail. It was a cold day, but we prolonged the hike as long as we could so that we wouldn't have to leave each other. A month after this photo was taken, we got all got our first dose of the COVID vaccine which, a month later, allowed us to finally be together indoors again. When I think of COVID, I think of the joy of hiking with my friends, a hobby which we continue to this day, but I also think of the pain of not knowing what the future would hold for us. I think of the feeling that time was standing still and the mix of peace and fear that brought me. As the vaccines began to be rolled out and the world started to open back up, the four of us decided to move together to Arizona to escape the cold and the memories of lockdown. I left most of my possessions behind, but I kept these hiking boots and microspikes, just in case.
• 2020

  Dystopian utopia

  During covid I almost failed high school. Quarantine occurred during the end of my sophomore year and all of my junior year. These years are exactly the middle years of highschool and it being online felt dystopian yet sort of utopian. Sophomore year online classes were my best grades in highschool. When they were just figuring out how to manage online classes, the workload was much easier than in person classes and the teachers were more understanding due to the circumstances. Junior year started and the longer that zoom classes continued, the less I felt the need to keep up with work. Having online classes didnt feel like being in class and skipping/sleeping through class came easier when I was already doing classes in bed. Especially when learning that a whole year of my highschool time was going to be remote, it made me lose motivation for grades. It was more so that grades felt like something that doesn’t really exist. I was here at home, locked inside because of a global crisis, and I had these FaceTime calls as class. Socialization was the main factor that motivated me to go to school in the first place. I prioritized socializing online over grades since I’m an extremely extraverted person who relies on socialization to feel energized. This led me to the most chronically online time of my life. I became practically nocturnal, staying up all night to play games or FaceTime with my friends. I met a lot of people online as well, people I am still friends with. Towards the end of the school year, I was failing all my classes. During Covid they had this policy that students couldn’t really fail, or that teachers had to provide more assistance to students who were failing. I didn’t really know what policy it was, I only heard about it, but it definitely worked in my favor. Last week or two of classes I had to complete a shortened list of assignments and if I completed them I would get a passing grade which wouldn’t affect my gpa. I completed them and then it was summer when we started getting used to going outside again. Quarantine time felt definitely dystopian, with toilet paper wars and a global lockdown. Throughout that, it brought a new perspective on what we really have and having reduced responsibilities, knowing that the world had enough resources for us to not have to work for a year but instead be provided for by the government, felt utopian. It felt like, for many, that we have been on a grind mindset for so long when we are a developed and advanced society. We have abundance to share, nationally, and are past the point of just survival. All in all, covid was an eye-opening, very weird time.
• 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.
• 
  0202-04-11

  Ender Dragon Fight with my friends

  This photo was taken of my friends and me right before we fought the ender dragon on the first Minecraft world we played at the start of the pandemic.
• 2021-10

  HIST30060: Long Distance friendships

  Throughout the past three years, I've spent much time going back and forth between Sydney and Melbourne (largely unrelated to COVID). I went through a fantastic period where I managed to avoid lockdowns in both states (not on purpose, I promise!), but then I ended up doing both Delta lockdowns in Melbourne and then in Sydney (karma). I've never been more grateful for zoom and facetime so I could keep in touch with my friends no matter where I was.
• 
  2020-06-08

  Isolation Bingo – HIST30060

  This game of bingo is an example of many of the online activities which were introduced as a form of entertainment during the various lockdown periods. Separated from friends and wider communities for long periods of time, innovative methods were necessary in order to encourage continued connection and interaction. This particular game is targeted towards members of the Ormond community, and refers to a number of specific scenarios that many residents would have experienced. While some are related to a ‘non-COVID’ semester at Ormond (such as ‘Survived O Week’ or ‘Got lost in Main Building’), many relate to the lockdown experience (like ‘Kept your camera on for an entire uni zoom tute’). In reminding readers of familiar scenarios, this seeks to inspire a continued relationship between members of the institution, and to reduce feelings of isolation. HIST30060.
• 
  2021-05-04

  Dreams

  This was an assignment in Paula Flynn's 5th grade class at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, CA. I hope to see my friends again I hope to go to school in person I hope to travel around the world I hope to see relatives Why can’t it always be like this? Hope hope hope
• 2021-03-30

  My Post-Covid Hopes

  I hope I will be able to attend virtual school. I hope I can visit my friends. I hope my friends can visit me. I hope we can eat at restaurants. I hope the olympics will happen soon. I hope I can travel all over the world again. I hope we can go to amusement parks. I hope I can make new friends. I hope I don’t get lost on campus.
• 2021-03-26

  My Post-Covid Hopes and Dreams

  I dream of a world with no restraint. A world where everyone may be free. A world freed from the burden of masks and complaints. A world where we all agree. I wish for a world with no injustice. A world where everyone is equal. A world freed from the burden of hatred and those who despise justice. A world where there are none who are unequal. I hope for a world with the healthy at ease. A world where we aren’t isolated or destitute of friends. A world freed from the uncouth disease. A world where we don’t constantly need to cleanse. COVID-19 has been a mess, but we will stay hopeful nonetheless.
• 2021-03-19

  My dreams

  My dreams for post-covid world To shop at my favorite stores To eat at the delicious mouth watering restaurants To explore the new books in the library To dance to the twisty, twirly music To laugh with my friends To hike through mother nature To learn at my school To exercise at boxing class To pray and sing at Church To have no mask To show the world who I am But for now I shop online I order pickup and eat at home I pick out books online I dance in my room I laugh at a distance I hike in my neighborhood I learn on zoom I don’t do boxing in a gym I don’t go to Church I have to wear a mask I can’t show the world who I am the way I did before For now I have to show myself a different way
• 2021-03-19

  Resurfacing

  The people, surfing on America, Their board. Relying on it to carry them above the waters of Bigotry and chaos, the board is old and Bloated with water, but it works. Then a wave, which we did not want to catch, a wave called covid hit the people and we were thrown off our board and into the water. Every time we tried to resurface, one of the currents that made the wave more powerful, Racism, Bigotry, power hunger and greed would pull us back under right as we were about to resurface. Dragging us deeper than when we were thrown off the board and slamming us into the sandy ground. Finally the wave had ceased and we, the people tried to swim back up, trying to get a hold on our board. I'm thinking about what I will do when we finally resurface for air. Maybe I will go to school and see multiple friends at the same time, watch some new movies instead of the ones that are being recycled. I look forward to the day when the people get back on our board and I can see my friends. Maybe people will have learned by then that racism, sexism, Homophobia and bigotry in general are our enemies, Who knows, as long as we’re dreaming.
• 2021-03-19

  I hope

  I hope that life can go back to “normal” I hope that I can spend endless days with my friends. I hope that I can go eat at amazing restaurants. I hope I can spend birthdays with those I love. I hope that I can see a movie with my dad on a rainy day. I hope I can shop at malls with my mom. I hope I can see the teachers that have given me a great education. I hope I can safely travel with my family. I hope I can win a volleyball tournament with my teammates. I hope I can dance on the biggest stage. I hope I can sing at concerts with my choir. I hope and I wish that one day I can do all these things.
• 2021-03-19

  I hope...

  I hope that a post-covid world means to be walking down Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland, with the smell of vanilla wafting through the air with a churro in my hand. I hope that a post-covid world means I can go back to my favorite land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and have a vibrantly colored, fruity drink at the Cantina. I hope that a post-covid world means that I can stay at my favorite hotel, The Grand Californian, and can collect all the pressed pennies and pins I can imagine. But most of all, I hope that a post-covid world means Disneyland opens soon so thousands of cast members can get back to work.
• 
  2020-07-21

  Photos from Remembrance of Philando Castile rally

  Hindsight is 20/20. Unless you're Jeff Bezos, this year has likely been really difficult (and it might get worse). I'm trying to challenge myself to look back at 2020, not only remembering the injustice, corruptness, and trauma of it - but all the friends made, hugs shared, and inspiring moments I got to witness. ⁣ ⁣ Lots of love to everyone who has been cheering me on locally and beyond. It's made this year a bit easier. That being said, call your mom. Embrace seeing a therapist. Hit up that friend you've been meaning to catch up with. ⁣ ⁣Photos from Remembrance of Philando Castile rally, July 6, 2020
• 
  2021-02-28

  Surviving the pandemic

  It is my personal experience of the pandemic. It's important to me as I've fought my inner insecurities and battles. I'm still coping with the stress caused by this pandemic, but it is getting better and I hope it gets better for everyone else too.
• 2020-03-20

  The Start of a Shutdown

  The date was March 20th, 2020. It was my best friend's birthday. Our friend group was preparing to throw a big party for her with lots of guests and food. We were all so excited for her to turn 18, finally able to vote. We were all also happy to be seniors and were looking forward to graduation and prom. March 20th will be forever cemented in my mind as the day it all went wrong. We found out that "Covid-19" was truly something very serious and our classes became virtual, no more seeing our friends in school. We couldn't have an in person birthday party for our friend, we couldn't hang out either. That day was so pivotal in all of our lives. We didn't know we would be stuck in quarantine for the next six months, we didn't know our graduation and prom would be canceled. We didn't know how much our daily lives would change. Sometimes, I wish I could go back to the pre-covid days. Everything seemed so simple then. No major pandemic, no masks, no overfull hospitals. But at the same time, as I reflect, quarantine has changed who I am as a person and has caused a lot of internal reflection and introspection. I feel like having to only see your family for six months makes you a better problem solver because you have to stay in the house and figure the issues out instead of going out and trying to brush it off. Overall, Covid is horrible and has caused so much loss. However, we need to also see the somehow positives that have come from this awful situation.
• 
  2020-04

  COVID. A Blessing in Disguise?

  The pandemic has allowed me to take a step back from everything in society to see what I truly care about and what truly matters to me. Not only what matters, but who in my life I love and care about that matters. The photographs I have attached show exactly who those people are. Throughout the pandemic I have made stronger relationships with my family. Although there were moments that it was hard spending time with just them 24/7. It was difficult knowing I could not see friends from home that went to different colleges during the year. This is because their parents were definitely stricter about COVID than my parents were. And I completely understood that, but it was tough not seeing one another knowing they were just five minutes away. To fill that frustration, we would have Netflix watch parties from our houses on our own computers so that it would feel as if we were all watching the same movie in the same room. Then after a few months we would take our dogs for walks outside, and that is shown in one of the pictures. We did this so that we could see each other while being able to properly social distance. It was just hard having to accept that for now it would be our new normal. Going home from Duquesne meant that all my friends from school would also be heading home. In another picture it shows a few of my friends and I all FaceTiming one another. We would all group FaceTime together just about once every day to play games and just catch up which also gave me something to look forward to. A positive that come from quarantine was being able to do workouts with my family three times a week. We never got to do this because I would be at school and my brother would be working. Two times out of the week we would work out at a local park near my house. Then every Saturday morning bright and early at 7 AM my dad’s trainer would pick a different sight throughout the city to work out at. This was something I definitely looked forward to once a week because typically we would just work out at the same gym. Now that the gym had to be shut down it allowed us to think outside the box. In one of the pictures it shows my dad, brother, his girlfriend and others that worked out at Point Park one freezing morning. It was definitely hard waking up on a cold morning, but having a change of scenery, being able to be outside and be physically active with some family and friends was nice and refreshing. We went to other destinations around the city too such as outside Hinze Field, PNC Park, and Pitt. In another picture is my mom and I. We have always been close, but with me being away at college COVID had allowed me to be around her more often. We would watch movies, cook dinner, and make fires together which was nice to be able to spend more quality time together. Overall, COVID was hard not being able to see certain friends that I have missed, but it had also allowed me to make stronger relationships with those I had not spent a lot of time with because I have been away at college. In some aspects I would say that COVID was a blessing in disguise for me and my family.
• 
  2021-01-25

  Covid statistics and how they effect me

  During the past few months, I have learned a lot about viruses, especially covid from the news, my parents, and science class. When someone gets covid they usually recover in about 1-2 weeks which from my friends and family who had it seems right because that's how long it took them to recover. Right now the death rate according to a site is less than 1% in America and 1 per 800 people who had it have died. I personally don't know anyone who died from it but I pray for all the people who have lost friends or family because even though it's less than 1% it can still affect people very negatively. There have been roughly 24 million cases so far and I hope it gets better.
• 2021-01-21

  Covid Systems

  When Covid started I didn't know much about it. All I knew was it was like another flu and it was another virus. After a few months of Covid, I started to have friends and family who got it. Some of the symptoms my aunt and her sister had was a loss of smell and taste and they had fevers and were kind of fatigued. My old basketball coach got it and he had the same symptoms. Many many people have got it all over the world and I'm glad that I only know a few people who have it, and are fortunate that most of my friends and family are healthy.
• 2020-09-21

  Friends During COVID-19

  Having to quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak has made me realize that people are not worth it. Many times during quarantine I have found myself not talking to any of my friends or anyone from school. This could be either because they have not reached out or because I haven’t reached out. Well if you know me I am always the one who will make the plans and will reach out first to ask to hang out. But quarantine has made me realize that nobody reaches out to me to talk or to hang out and if I hadn’t reached out we wouldn’t be talking to me or hanging out with me if I didn’t. Now what am I supposed to do wait around until somebody reaches out or should I try multiple times to reach out. What I have done now is reached out to new people because at this point I don't care what people think of me because I know it will negative in some way. So by me reaching out to new people I won’t have to waste my time on people who don't care about me and I can find people who do.
• 
  2020-12-02

  Sonja Carlson - MY COVID STORY

  This is a short COVID-19 reflection on the experience of Sonja Carlson, a semi-retired craft guru. The story is written as a Word Doc.
• 
  2020-11-30

  Home for The Holidays

  I live in Florida and my friend goes to school in Vermont, but for the holiday's she decided to come home. We knew this would be risky situation with her flying and having stops between, so I was able to get an extra rapid test for her since my family was already getting tested. We haven't seen each other since August, so we had been eager to be back at home together again, even though things are so different. Everyone has gone through a difficult time this year; one of the things I feel hit home is that my final stages of "childhood" and cherishing everything before I move was not at all what I wanted it to be. Now that my best friend and I are safely home together for winter break, I know we will both be doing our best to soak up all of our hometown before everything changes for good.
• 2020-04-10

  Movie Night Reunions During COVID-19

  This photograph was taken during the first virtual reunion that several friends and I had during the very early months of the pandemic, just before Easter 2020. We hadn't seen in other in several months, and although we had become used to this after graduating from Fordham University in 2018 and moving to different parts of the country, it was becoming clear that we wouldn't be able to see each other in-person for longer than we had expected. We decided to try using Zoom to have a movie night and had a great time watching Moonstruck together. We were all feeling the weight of the uncertainty and fear that was hanging over so many at this point during the pandemic. Yet, as can be seen from the smiles on our faces, finding ways to stay in touch with those closest to us helped to ease that anxiety and allowed us to find something of a sense of normalcy. We didn't know how pervasive Zoom would become as the pandemic continued: this would be the first of many reunions held in this way.
• 
  10/17/2022

  Sachiko Mortia-Mulaney Oral History, 2020/10/17

  This is an Oral History interview with University of Cincinnati student Sachiko Morita-Mullaney. Sachiko discusses her experience as a student at the University of Cincinnati. She brings up her identity as a Japanese-American woman and how that has affected her personally during the pandemic due to anti-Asian racism. She also talks about her small online business, and the different ways her and her family’s employment have been affected by Covid-19. Sachiko, a Political Science major at the University of Cincinnati, is very informed about the government’s response to Covid-19. She shares her opinions about healthcare in the United States and how racism and classism have affected the United States’ response to the coronavirus. Finally, we talked about the future and the quality of the US response to the coronavirus.
• 
  2020-08-09T21:28+10:00

  Digitally Traversing Social Distances: Zoom Trivia with Friends

  This photo depicts me and my university friends catching up over Zoom and playing trivia. We played trivia multiple times over zoom, usually most Fridays, as a regular way to socialise while we were all apart during university holidays and Melbourne's second lockdown. The rules of our trivia games were as follows: every player would contribute $5, different people would volunteer to make trivia questions on whatever category they choose (including memes, dog breeds, logos etc.) and the overall winner that week would use the prize money to buy alcohol of their choice (we are students after all). We also had dress-up themes like sports and beach-wear, and bonus points would be allocated to best-dressed. These nights were the highlight of my week and gave me something to look forward to, breaking up the monotony of university assignments and lockdown. At the time this photo was taken, I had left Melbourne and was in hotel quarantine in Brisbane. This is also why zoom trivia worked well, because whilst some of my friends stayed in Melbourne, many of us moved out of the city to do lockdown with family in places like rural Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, and Queensland. Social media and video chats like Zoom functioned to connect us in new ways during the pandemic, and shows how the barriers of physical distance could be traversed via digital realms. HIST30060.
• 
  2020-11-10

  Zenly recorded how many days without friends

  In March, our school announced remote teaching for the rest of the semester during the spring break. I was playing video games with my friends when the announcement came out and none of us could imagine it was the last time we will be in the same room. Immediately we started to plan on going back to home to China, we did not even say goodbye that night because we thought we were going to meet next semester or some time earlier. So we packed our things and left in rush, booked the earliest flight and tried to get home before the travel ban got stricter. Since then, Zenly recorded it's been 234 days that we haven't met each other. I miss the old days.
• 
  2020-09-28

  Reunited at last

  Once restrictions started to lessen in Victoria following our second wave, it became common to use sites that calculated the radius we could travel from our homes to figure out if we could meet up with friends outside or walk somewhere different. In the later part of September in Melbourne, our permitted radius was 5km and we could meet up in groups of two for exercise or leisure outside for up to two hours. They had also just announced we could exercise within the same radius of our workplaces (if you were a 'permitted worker') which meant one of my circles overlapped with my best friend. This meant I could finally see her in person for the first time since June and the second time since March. (HIST30060)
• 
  2020-10-28

  First Day Free

  HIST30060. The first day out of the second lockdown in Melbourne, Australia, I got invited to a picnic with friends from high school. We went to a park that was local to everyone and no one at the same time, having been going there for parties and gatherings for the past six years. This photo is of a café local to Yarraville in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Alfa Bakehouse backs right out onto the train station where I get off and the only reason I went passed it was to check if a froyo place I loved had yet reopened with other retail and hospitality businesses. To see this many people together was both exhilarating and uncomfortable at the same time. Knowing that freedom was finally in our grasp but the overlying fear that we could easily return to lockdown if we are not careful. I made my way to my friends shortly after this picture was taken and talked and ate for hours, even getting a sun burn, and it reminded me how all that time in lockdown was worth it if people can see one another again and enjoy their time together.
• 
  2020-09-18

  Hanging Out With Friends

  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.
• 2020-10-27

  The Last Day Of School

  It was march, at school people were talking alot about the coronavirus but nobody really saw how big the issue was. I remember in previous weeks my hirstoy teacher asking our class, “Do you guys think this virus will eventually affect us? What do you think? Will we be affected?” I remember the whole class pretty much saying “Nah we will be fine,” there were maybe a select few who saw this coming, but for the most part nobody had a clue it would bring us here. Even my teacher. Towards the end of that school day, everyone didn’t understand what was going on, but all we knew was that we didn’t have to come to school the following Monday. It was a Friday. I went to my friend’s house after school with my frined group at the time and we all talked about the possibilities, and how we might get a two week extention on spring break, not knowing this would be the last time we hang out for a pretty long time before all of our friendships changed. We never knew that over half a year of growing and learning in highschool, and that one of our very few summers as a teen would be stripped away from us.
• 
  2020-03-18

  Farewell to Edinburgh

  I was on exchange in Edinburgh in the first half of 2020, and was forced to return home to Melbourne 3 months early. This was an incredibly sad and confusing time, where so many of my plans and dreams for the rest of exchange were scuppered. Things moved at a breakneck pace. My first exchange friend decided to leave Edinburgh on the 12th March, and by the 18th March I was flying home to Melbourne, having made dozens of rushed goodbyes in the previous few days. This object is a farewell post I made on Instagram, with 10 photos with my friends in Edinburgh. It sums up the mixed emotions I felt in those days - sadness, fondness, nostalgia, gratitude.
• 
  2020-05-20

  Birthday Bubble

  My son’s birthday was in May. We usually have a big party for him and invite all his friends. This year, by the time May came around, schools were closed so we did not distribute invitations to his classmates like we usually did. Geographically, we live in a bubble. We live in a rural community in a sparsely populated part of the country. So this year, the party was pared down, and took place outside. We invited only a couple friends who all lived within our little neighborhood and we had maintained close contact with since this all began. All went well, and for that I am thankful.
• 2020-10-12

  Life of a Homeshcooler

  - In times of covid I am not as social in person but have switched my social online with friends playing games and D&D through, discord, zoom and text. -Before covid I had a schedule of when I went to classes, co-ops and saw my friends. Social is now more erratic because everyone is home and schedules are so varied. This makes it hard to talk to friends. So now I have to adapt more to others schedules in order to spend time online with friends. -Because of the way we socialize I spend more time than normal online. -My homeschool life however has not changed that much, probably do more academics than before. I have been taking multiple online class over the years so when covid happened things didn’t change that much for me academically. -Another positive is that my personal library has expanded because getting to the library and picking out books is limited since they aren’t open and only allow curbside pick up. -Got more chickens, since we are home all the time. -Since I don’t leave the house very often, I have been able to get more schoolwork done. -Since I am home more, I have more time for hobbies and have taken up learning blacksmithing.
• 2020-10-11

  In the Pandemic Journey

  I am an international student from Colombia. I was in the middle of my fourth semester as a sophomore in college when I heard that the pandemic hitting the world just entered the U.S. I was excited at the time because my girlfriend and I bought tickets to go to New York City during spring break. I thought we were going until I heard that New York City was a hot spot for COVID-19. We did not want to risk anything, especially if we were going to encounter a virus that was completely unknown to us, so we cancelled the trip, but the airline still gave us the tickets to fly anytime between then and the end of 2022. After that, spring break came, and it was announced that the university was closed after spring break and we would have to go completely online. I live with my girlfriend since I first came to the U.S., so I stayed with her at her home that is two hours from the university we are enrolled in. We finished the rest of the semester there at her home. We then stayed for another month there and while we were in complete isolation we took advantage of that to go running together to be healthy, we did not let ourselves get bored, we were always doing something, we would do zoom video calls with our friends, watch movies, play video games, etc. After that we came back to Stevens Point to work on campus for the summer (with the required restrictions) so we could make some money to pay for our tuition. Though this is considered by many one of the worst years they’ve lived in, I had the most fun summer since I first came to the U.S – me, my girlfriend, and our friends had a blast; we hung out almost every day, we went to isolated beaches and went on boat rides, we had bonfires, we partied amongst ourselves, we went hiking, we went biking, we played soccer, etc. When the summer was over, we went back to classes and I got also got interested in learning new languages, so I downloaded the app called Duolingo to learn Portuguese and practice some other languages. Since Spanish and Portuguese are so similar, I am quickly picking up the language. I started my junior year in college, and I could not be happier with the classes I picked. My girlfriend and I thought that since we have classes online and more time at home, it would be the perfect time to get a dog, so we adopted a Doxiepoo, the combination of a Dachshund and a miniature poodle. She is 4 months and we have had a lot of time to train her and we couldn’t be happier with her. Everyone has their ways of coping, and with this ongoing journey through a global pandemic, I have learned that my way of coping is not only adjusting to the situation but also taking advantage of the variety of opportunities that arrive and make the best out of it. This pandemic has taught me in a way that just because we are adjusting, we should not stop living in the moment and while I understand that for some people this pandemic might be harder, it is up to us to either make it a living hell or make it one of the most memorable experiences of our life.
• 
  2020-10-08

  Life Indoors

  Taking classes at a university online for the 7-8 months has been a new experience that is new for a lot of people. Both professors and students alike are learning how to switch over to an online environment, and I think it is hard on everyone. But I am personally trying to make the most of it, even if I end up sleeping through my first lecture sometimes. I think it is important to document what the schooling or work life is like during this time because it is something we have not seen before. Spending the majority of my time at home, I have begun to rekindle past hobbies that I have had. I chose to submit a picture of the things I have crocheted because they were challenging in that I hadn't ever tried to make little characters or animals before this pandemic. I took the picture while on a video call with my friends because ever since this summer, we have chatted or video called to keep in touch with each other and "hangout," even if we have to be physically apart. This times online have been very meaningful to me and crucial in my survival of these times, because I tend to get very lonely and I know many people are struggling with mental health. My mental health is doing pretty okay despite everything going on, and I thank my friends for being there to talk and just have fun and take my mind off of everything challenging going on.
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  2020-03-23

  COVID-19, Staying Together While Socially Distanced

  This is a message to everyone that was affected by the lockdown, both physically and mentally.
• 
  2020-08-22

  “We are car”

  This is a photo I took when my friends and I (a total of 3 of us) came together for the first time in 5 months. We had masks on and went to Mcdonalds on skateboards. Because of covid, mcdonalds only had a curbside pickup or drive thru. We decided to do curbside pickup so we didn’t get in the way of cars. We ordered online, stood in a parking spot and pretended to be a car. Hence our saying “we are car”. This photo shows how teens now persevere through these tough times while following corona regulations.
• 
  2020-05-27

  TikTok Takeover

  In this world there are many things we cannot predict. For instance, we could not predict the effect COVID-19 would have on us and our everyday lives. In this unfortunate situation it is important to understand perspective. If we were able to travel back in time and show someone a picture of a masked and fully sanitized person shopping, they would think you were crazy. Along those same lines, if you were to show someone the app TikTok six months ago they may not even know what it was or what you were talking about, and if they did, they surely weren’t using it every day. When I first downloaded the app TikTok back in February before COVID-19 hit, I didn’t realize how popular it would soon become. I was mildly curious and wanted to check it out for a few minutes. Soon after, I was hooked, and it became a more prominent source of entertainment for me and millions of other people. I recognize that TikTok also has many drawbacks, including misinformation, negative suggestions, security issues and more. But for this purpose, I am focusing on TikTok as entertainment in this pandemic crisis only. Today, TikTok is used by millions of people and is still growing. The very week my sister came home from college early because of COVID, we made a TikTok together about how our mom makes us take a walk around the block for fun---a sign of the times when literally all we could do was walk “around the block.” In a time of uncertainty, it felt good to do something lighthearted. I have noticed that there are many different takes on this app. People love it, and people hate it. I may have started out seeing TikTok as just another social media app, or even a waste of time, but due to the pandemic, I now see it in a new light. In some ways, it is a way for people to express their creativity, to try new things, and inspire others when personal interaction is limited. It is a reminder that you are not alone in this time of hurt and crisis—what better way to relax over the pandemic than making these fun videos and seeing so many other people doing the same. In addition, emotions are high during the pandemic as it sometimes seems it will never end, that everything is out of your control, and there is a lot of repetition. It almost seems like we are in the movie “Groundhog Day.” TikTok is the perfect way to funnel those emotions everyone has been feeling and at minimum provides a lighthearted break from the world. As I open the app, I am instantly engulfed in uplifting and positive videos, comedy videos that truly make me laugh, and a feeling of empathy towards others that reassures me that I am not the only one living through this event that is changing history. Furthermore, one of the most important parts of being socially distanced and quarantined is communication. It is easy to lose communication with friends and distant family members during a pandemic, yet one of the things TikTok offers about this pandemic is ironically connection, just not in person. This app provides a means of communication that no other app possesses and a sense of community, even if it is an odd one. This article and Tiktok itself are important to me because they show that TikTok and other social media platforms can truly bring people of all ages together in ways that surprised me. This includes not just young kids, but all generations of people as well as whole families. Social media has always been around and growing, and every generation has its phase, whether it’s MySpace, Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, or Tiktok. However, what truly makes this app important to me is its ability to show a lighthearted and fun side of a world facing not-so-lighthearted issues for all generations. I don’t know what will happen to it in the days or weeks ahead, but TikTok has definitely left its mark on society during this time.
• 2020-01-15

  True Friends

  The picture I posted is important to me, as even though that my friends and I were not able to meet. Beacuse of the pandemic we all truly appreciated the presence of eachothe rin the group and felt like family to each other.
• 
  2020-04-12T16:15:10

  Jewish Melbourne - Passover 2020

  Passover is one of my favorite holidays. I love the Seder, songs, prayers, food and sharing it with loved ones. For the last several years, I have been a guest at my dear friend's house. She has three grandson's, twins age 13 and a 10 year old. Her daughter is a wonderful baker and makes the most wonderful desserts! Her son is a chef and dinner is spectacular! He also conducts the Seder with the perfect combination of fun and the seriousness of the occasion. I miss this terribly!
• 
  03/21/2020

  Susan Gould Oral History, 2020/03/21

  Susan Gould describes her preparations for COVID-19 and what everyday life is like in a state mandated lockdown. She also explains how her employer, Menorah Park, a nursing home located in the epicenter of Ohio’s Covid-19 outbreak responded to the pandemic.
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  2020-04-07

  Viva Las Vegas! CANCELLED

  Contra Costa County COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders were announced on March 13, 2020. As is typical for me, my calendar was full of various activities in the summer months. I love summer! And, as a teacher, I have more freedom during the summer months to travel and to spend times with loved ones. One of the upcoming events I was most looking forward to was a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate one of my best friend from college's 40th birthday. Somewhere between college and now, life began to move at warp speed and we don't get as much time together as we would like. So, for many reasons, this was a major trip for us all. In early April, it was clear that the trip would no longer happen. We all received a text from the birthday girl letting us know the trip was officially cancelled. While I am sad, it is definitely the right decision. I am hopeful that 2021 will give us the opportunity to reschedule! It is hard to imagine that it could possibly be an entire year before we can all comfortably travel and be together once again.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Stay Connected with Friends

  During this quarantine, my friends and I felt sadden that we were not able to see each other day to day anymore. We missed the company and speaking to each other face to face again. In order to stay connected to made several Tik Tok's together to pass the time. It was so fun to see the final product and have fun together again. During this pandemic it is really hard to go without company. Even with my family there seems to be something missing and that is my friends. Friends are everything and you must stay in contact no matter what or friendships are going to be difficult to keep up with.