Items

• 2025-03-31

  5 Year Reflection

  Five years since COVID, and so much has changed. Since COVID, I have: - Obtained my driver’s license (July 2022) - Obtained my MA in global history (May 2022) - Started working as a behavioral therapist (May 2023) - Became an aunt (July 2022) - Had my grandma on my dad’s side die (January 2022) - Had my grandpa on my mom’s side die (October 2023) - Been married five years to my husband (we married in May 2019) These are all just some personal events that have happened. That said, some things have stayed since COVID. One thing I really notice are people being more willing to call off work and school more often if they feel sick. I myself have had to call off work a few times due to illness myself, and because I work with such young populations, I want to make sure they don’t catch whatever I have. I’m glad my job is pretty okay with calling out sick when needed, because some employers will still pressure people to come to work sick. Speaking of illness and sickness, my dad (who is a doctor) has been glad he doesn’t have to wear full PPE anymore for work. I remember him telling me he got sweaty so easily. COVID has still affected the medical industry a lot, as there is still a doctor shortage for the amount of care needed. My mom, who has a history of working in special needs education, has said that she has noticed kids being behind socially and academically due to lockdowns, and this being especially detrimental to their development. The kids would sometimes lack access to computers to do work, especially if the parents had to work from home and there was no computer available. Sometimes, I believe schools provided laptops for COVID (happened with my youngest sister), but I’m unsure of how well funded other schools were for that. When it came to social skills, my mom described lots of regression in those areas (such as difficulty interacting with peers). One thing that has really come back to normal since COVID are people dining in large groups again, in close proximity. I remember my first anniversary that was during COVID, and the dinner experience then was so much different than today. I remember having to make a reservation (they were mandatory), all the staff were masked, the capacity was limited, and tables were spaced far apart from each other. One perk is that it felt a bit like private dining, but I’m also glad I can now just walk into any restaurant without having to go through all those steps. At the time, I felt like lockdowns would last forever, but looking back, it wasn’t as long as I thought it would be. Eventually, businesses had to open up again in order to make enough money. Speaking of business, the economy still hasn’t recovered well since COVID. The record federal spending in 2020-2022 (some of it COVID related), has made economic recovery slow down. Industry needs to be brought back in order to keep things functioning. There have been political changes too since COVID. When COVID started in November 2019 (lockdowns didn’t happen until March 2020), Trump was president. Then from 2021-2025, Biden was president. Honestly, I think being president during COVID would have been tough on anyone, and the response to it both affected Trump’s and Biden’s presidencies. Trump’s approach was to keep lockdowns for 1-2 months at its highest, then open up businesses again to prevent economic disruption. Biden, on the other hand, had a policy that expressed more caution, and encouraged lockdowns to last longer (in addition to masking). Ultimately, it was up to the governors of each state to decide when lockdowns ended. Doug Ducey, the then governor of Arizona, kept lockdowns until around early 2022. Other states, like Florida, opened up as early as the summer of 2021. Ohio, a state I used to live in, also opened up in the summer of 2021. Overall, most states were fully opened by 2022, and 2022 was the year I could go to the Renaissance Festival again (the last time I went before that was in February of 2020 before lockdowns). The state of emergency had to be lifted for the fair to happen again. Culturally, there’s been a big shift since COVID. Celebrity worship being looked down upon is probably one of the biggest changes I’ve seen. At a time where people lost their jobs, were under lockdown in small apartments, and had tight finances, you had a bunch of celebrities in this viral video singing “Imagine” from their mansions in order to help people cope with lockdowns. It understandably was seen as tone deaf, and ti me was the real beginning of the end to celebrity worship that was present in the 2010s. Also, celebrities now have to compete with influencers to earn money, so you see a lot more celebrities launching brands to maintain their income. Some of the brand attempts have been more successful than others. Additionally, way more celebrities are on apps like TikTok competing for attention, and that loses some of the mystique celebrities maintained prior to ubiquitous social media. Overall, I would say that COVID has had a great impact on so many aspects of life. I’ve gained a lot more skills since COVID, and now can say that my work history looks better than before. It really helped that I was able to take care of elderly during COVID, because if I worked in most other industries, I may have been out of a job. For that I will always be grateful. I’ve also learned that I need more social interaction in my everyday life to stay mentally healthy. I don’t need a ton, but the lack of it during COVID really brought my mood down. Even today, I’m still happy when a cashier wants to talk to me. I now cherish my social interaction more since COVID. Learning to drive during COVID has probably been one of my biggest life changes though. It helped me get the job I have today, in addition to being able to do the grocery shopping myself, in addition to getting myself to appointments. What I want in the next five years is to be a mom, and hopefully that will happen. Parts of my life did stop, but since I kept persevering, I’m not as “behind” on life as I think I am.
• 2022-04-13

  How a Tiny Virus Changed my Life

  This is a personal story of how the pandemic altered my retirement years, and ultimately made me a better person
• 
  2021-08

  Five Years Later

  Yesterday during class, I was rummaging through my backpack when I found this Community of Care Kit that I was given in the Fall 2021 semester of my freshman year at Arizona State University. As of now, I am in my last semester at ASU and can't help to feel bittersweet when looking to the past. My last two years of high school and first semester of college were defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the world has seemed to returned to normalcy. I'm glad that I still have this Community of Care Kit as it holds much historical significance in showing what life was like during the pandemic. On a personal level, this kit reminds me of a time that seems so different to what life is like now, and it also holds strong memories of my first year of college. Five years later, I now look at the COVID-19 pandemic and recognize the positives it brought, such as spending more time with my family and growing into young adulthood during this time.
• 2021

  Am I Stupid or Something*?

  I felt, and recurringly feel inadequate or delayed because of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown. There is not one story that stands out, rather several instances of the same overwhelming feeling of how far behind I am, what could have been of myself, all the things I could've achieved, etcetera. However, before my face gets hot and the tears well, I burst out into a chuckle. Not only am I not alone, there is approximately seven billion other earth dwellers feeling some version of the exact same thing. I can't be stupid, otherwise, I would lack the depth and perception to know what I've closed, while using my empathy and cadence to remember others have lost more, and always to be grateful. A stupid person would not be vaccinated and advocate against misinformation during a pandemic, nor continue to test themselves for the sake. I can accept things lost because of those that were not, like my life, my health, and those around me. I am many things: blessed, mindful, and kind. To say the covid-19 pandemic made me stupid would be a discredit to all I did and became during it, all I endured.
• 2020-03-13

  An unforgettable tale

  I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a junior in high school, walking home with my friends. But prior to this, my government professor was very adamant about this new virus spreading around known as COVID-19. I had no idea what it was or why he was so obsessed with this virus. I didint think much of it until I saw the news that there was going to be no school. Later did I know, my life was going to take a drastic turn. Remote learning was a new concept for me. I didint complain since all I had to do was wake up and walk to my desk and turn my computer on for my first period class. It was the best thing ever. I passed my classes with ease and had no trouble learning or understanding material. This “paradise” was going to end when I would reach college. Learning through remote learning was so difficult. I was initially a biology major, which requires a lot of attention and understanding of the material in order to pass but I couldn’t. Being stuck at home was finally taking a toll on me. I wanted to get out of my house and be free. Walk around without a mask and be social with people. That’s when I realized that I was lacking social skills. It was sophomore year when schools were opening up. I was excited. Arriving at my first class and I was stunned. Seeing so many faces. I was scared. I didint know what to do. I wanted to leave as soon as possible. This “fear” would stretch until senior year of college when I started becoming more comfortable with my peers around me. Using the resources available for me. I can safely say I’m finally growing out of this craze known as COVID-19
• 2020-04-04

  Covid Helped Me Grow

  My story takes place at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 (Quarantine). The two weeks off that my high school mentioned had passed. It was at that point that I knew it was going to be a lot longer than two weeks. I was always quite the introvert, so the first week or so was very manageable for me. However, I soon realized how much I underappreciated getting the chance to leave the house and go do things such as going to restaurants, running errands, and most importantly, spending quality time with friends. It was during this time period that I was at one of the lowest mental states of my life. To add on to that, I was in a relationship at the time of quarantine. Long story short, we had some complications with our relationship before the pandemic, and it only got worse during the early days of it. However, for a more positive note, I spent a lot of time with my family and also my friends via facetime. Aside from that, I had an incredible amount of time to myself while stuck in quarantine. I used this time to myself to reflect on myself and how to improve my life and to get it together. As some time passed and after a lot of journaling, I had made some decisions that was going to change my life and make me a better and stronger individual. To list off a few, I had decided to end my relationship with this girl because I had found that we truly were not compatible with each other. Another thing was to get my first job so I can make money, stay productive, and also meet new people. I also decided that i was gonna be more social and really try my best to put myself out of my comfort zone moving forward, once the quarantine had concluded. I can proudly say that while I'm not perfect by any means, I had made these changes in my life and I am now extremely content with myself. Overall, this story is important to me because while I was in one of the worst periods of my life, this was one of, if not, the biggest learning period of my entire life. The amount of lessons that I took from my experience and the adversity that I went through during the pandemic has shaped me up to becoming the best version of myself. I can confidently say that I am just getting started and will continue to constantly improve myself as time will go on.
• 
  2020-03-13

  COVID 19, and its affect on my morality

  During the Pandemic, I actually had the time to sit and reflect on my religion and take time to learn from Allah swt. I strengthened my relationship with him and became a better Muslim throughout these times during the pandemic. The pandemic has provided an unexpected opportunity for many individuals to deepen their connection to their faith, again, including myself. As I found myself with more time for introspection and reflection, I was able to delve into the teachings and practices of Islam in a way that I hadn't before. This period of isolation allowed me to prioritize my spiritual growth and strengthen my relationship with Allah. I am grateful for this newfound connection to Islam and am committed to continuing my journey of Islam. "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 2, Hadith 12) This hadith emphasizes the importance of treating others as we would like to be treated, which is a fundamental principle of Islam. It highlights the idea that our faith is not just about personal piety, but also about fostering a sense of community and compassion for others. By loving and caring for our fellow human beings, we can strengthen our connection to both our faith and to each other, which is especially important during times of hardship and uncertainty like the pandemic.
• 
  2020-08-05

  Only Student on Campus: My First and Second Year at College

  The item that I am submitting describes my life as a student throughout my senior year of high school toward my first year of college. I emphasized the feeling of being alone and dealing with the college on a fully virtual level. As months passed it was important to validate the experience and the growth from being in an online setting to an in-person setting.
• 2020-03-08

  How I look at life.

  It is important to talk about what happened so you know what not to do in the future.
• 
  2021-10-06

  Reflecting on life. Life has been hard.

  It was August 25th, 2019. I had finally reached my parents’ house, all of our belongings* (all that could fit in one car*) in tow, back in my home state of New York. I didn’t want to be here – I grew up in NY, and until two years ago, never intended on coming back. I like to call it the “tectonic plates of life” moving, that moment when you feel something big on the horizon and suddenly, oh hey, here’s a big life decision you didn’t plan on having to make, have fun! Circumstances change, yeah. Life is a pretty unpredictable time warp, and global warming is such a serious issue; it was already sorta tough to not focus on the negatives before 2020. Relationship issues, financial issues, family issues – so many volumes of problems. I already felt like I had lost everything, pride included. Nothing could have prepared me for the pure stress that inevitably comes from a worldwide pandemic. Moving back into my parents’ house as a single parent in her 30’s was just about the biggest pill I could swallow that autumn. Since I had decided to work at Starbucks again, I finally made up my mind to go to college for the first time. In February, I enrolled in summer classes to start at ASU. I was hearing something about a coronavirus, but I wasn’t paying much attention to the news with taking placement tests for college in between working. In March, my daughter’s school closed, and so did Starbucks. It’s hard. It’s hard to not focus on the bad, and it’s so odd to think fondly of the not-so-bad before it. Life just feels a little bit harder. A lot bit, with the increasing violence, hatred and misinformation being spread on a daily basis. Everyone’s experiencing repercussions in one way or another; but something I cannot deny – the something I’m most grateful for: how much I’ve grown, emotionally and mentally. Maybe I can’t credit the stress from the pandemic completely, but it has certainly put all of my other stress in a different perspective. It turned my attention to world issues – I stopped being so wrapped up with myself and my own country, started learning about other cultures after starting college – falling so deeply for that education that I decided to major in Anthropology, with a Minor in Religious Studies. I watched a Ted Talk once that described the good effects of stress.. I feel as if I’m a better human, or at least, a more knowledgeable one. A lot has changed in the past two years. I started college, moved into my own place, moved back into parents’ (hi, tectonic plates!), went from being faithfully Christian to super agnostic/atheist (that was mentally difficult and I’m still processing it) and although I am quite bitter with life in general, I’m also much happier with it, and with myself. I'm a better mom for it. Life has felt like a constant challenge for years now, but I appreciate how easy it is to appreciate the simple things. I may find it annoying that everyone is more on edge, but honestly, who can blame them? Good on everyone for putting up with life! All we can do is learn and grow. And treat the planet well, guys. Let’s do that, too.
• 2020-12-17

  Quarantine Glow-Ups

  During Covid-19 I realized that most of the time I do things for other people and not myself. I think it’s because since we stayed at home all the time and I had to stop doing things for other people anyway. During the school year when we actually went to school, I was always really passive and would let people walk over me with things like projects and I would have to do all the work. But then during those couple of weeks when quarantine started and we didn’t have school for a month, I took a lot of time actually taking care of myself since I never had time for self-care during the school year. I think I gained some confidence. I feel like now I don’t really let people make me do all the work anymore and it feels good. Sometimes it is hard though because in one of my classes I’m one of the only juniors and the seniors are scary. Other than having a glow-up during quarantine, my friends and I discovered ways to hang out with each other since we can't go outside. We played a lot of games, like Among Us and Genshin Impact, and they are really fun when you’re playing with friends. I always used to think that I was an introvert (still true) and I didn't need friends, but during quarantine, I learned that I just needed a couple of great friends.
• 2020-09-22

  COVID-19 benefits

  This journal entry was written as a part of the American Studies class at California High School in San Ramon, California. Before this pandemic, I feel that I was constantly on the go and blind to many things. It was always go to school , do this, do that, and so on. Since quarantine, I have had lots of down time and have gotten the time to reflect on me as a person. It's been very refreshing slowing down my once hectic everyday life. Due to us being on lock down, I was able to open my eyes to a lot of things. I realized I was putting my energy places where it was unnecessary and trying with people where there was no try back. I had to figure out what relashinships really mattered to me and stop trying with those who show me no attention. Yes this pandemic is crazy but it has been very beneficial to me. I have grown as a person and bettered my mental state.
• 
  2020-12-15

  Jackson Brockenbrough

  Jackson Brockenbrough, Jdagiver Production, explained in a verbal interview that as a direct result of COVID his inspirational has been effected. Lack of city life has made it more difficult for him to tap into his creativity. The dullness within the current state of the world translates into his work as many artist are effected by the their life and surroundings as a source of inspiration. Jackson continued explaining that even though this time is more difficult to produce music, he has a responsibility as a producer during COVID. For example the world utilizes music as an outlet to express and feel emotions of such as emotions of fear and frustration that COVID induces.Jacksons has also been faced with the difficulty of individuals being unable to contribute to sessions like they did prior to job restrictions because of COVID. Jackson’s story explains how an entrepreneur faces not only individuals struggling, and competition but also effected by the economic state of his consumers too.
• 
  2020-03-17

  The Blessings of Covid-19

  I submitted how the Corona Pandemic has helped change my life for the better.
• 
  2020-07-30

  Plant Surprise

  At the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, our area was overrun with invasive “ankle biter” mosquitoes. My students and I were constantly bitten, and I eventually bought a “mosquito repelling” plant from Home Depot. I’m not sure it actually worked, but it was a nice addition to my classroom. On March 16, my last day before we were sent home, I put my plant outside to enjoy the rain, thinking I’d be back in a couple of weeks, like we had planned. I didn’t set foot in my classroom again until July 30. I thought of my little plant often, and was sad imagining it drying out, or getting thrown away. Imagine my shock when I drove up to my classroom to grab some items from my room to prepare to start Distance Learning for the new year and seeing my beloved plant quadrupled in size! I grabbed my items from my classroom, marveled at how it was a bit like Chernobyl with everything frozen on March 13, the last date the students were in school, and went to grab my plant to safely take home. We found it had actually broken through its pot and rooted itself into the ground. My husband (who drove with me) dug it out and I replanted it in my yard. I see my plant as sort of this odd symbol of hope and resilience in 2020. Despite being put in a situation where it was expected to die, it managed to fight, grow and thrive. I’d like to think that in this year of upheaval, we’d all be able to do the same.
• 
  2020

  Positivity During Covid-19

  This inspirational message is making its way around. Suicide rates are high right now. People are frustrated. This message asks if this is a time of transformation? A chance to start anew.
• 2020-05-04

  Flagstaff Quarantine

  I don't have the virus and didn't lose my job. I AM in the dangerous older age group, so I've been quarantining. It's been 7 weeks now, and I'm still LOVING it. I love it because I'm an introvert and have too many interesting things I can do at home. I'm getting more creative than in my normal life, producing art and writing, doing more cleaning and decluttering than I would normally be willing to do. I'm also getting creative about using my time and making do with the foods and supplies I have on hand. I keep informed about the virus (and mourn for those who've lost their lives, and feel for those who aim to heal the sick and those who've lost their jobs), but I'm not plugged in 24/7. I'm excited to hear about the creative new ways people are figuring out how to work and connect and thrive. While this is a tragic and difficult time, it's also a creative and growth time, which I think will leave its mark.
• 
  2020-04-02

  The Landscape of Emotion Series #1: My Emotions During Quarantine

  A description of my emotions which I have analyzed throughout the quarantine.