Items
Instructional Method is exactly
Suffolk University in Boston
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2020-03-19
Text Messages between my Mother and I.
This is a small conversation between my mom and I when she went back to work during the beginning of quarantine. She works as a medical secretary at a local doctor’s office and works closely with sharing phones, computers, and other spaces. It was not until recently that there was a COVID scare following Thanksgiving, but, she tested negative since they are from a different department. This item connects to the week focusing on historical thinking on and off the web as this was never something that I would have considered sharing beyond my close group of friends since it feel mundane now. I think that this is an “Item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020” as we see her in full gear. While the precautions no longer have the dress or hair mask, she still wears the medical-grade mask with her gloves and face shield each day. Seeing people in action will humanize the pandemic and make it seem like something that truly happened than just another historical moment with accounts like this. -
2020-12-02
A Messy Study Station
During the pandemic, my mental health as been at an all time low and that is often showcased by the condition of my bedroom. As seen here, there is the desk is pretty messy highlighting my though process at the time. I was taking a small break in this moment as I tried to complete the embroidery from another post and move onto something else that I wanted create. This study space is often passed up for the comfort of my own bed, but, having it often helps with productivity and is the first place that I start when trying to clean my room with the little victories. This connects to the week on Growing Up Digital as my laptop is showing something, never letting me escape from the almost addiction that I have with the device since receiving it last summer. I think that this is something that “demonstrates something significant about your generation” as many of us stayed home for the semester and needed to find a way to battle relax time and study time within the confines of our small rooms. Redecorating helped a little bit as my desk now is much larger than the one I had before, but, there is still that mix of working from my bed that makes it hard to fall asleep and keep myself engaged with the task in front of me. -
2020-12-12
Unfinished Projects Part 453.
During quarantine, trying to keep myself busy as been the ultimate goal these past few months. Right before the semester started, I got into embroidery as these patterns often take hours to complete. Many of my patterns have been bought off of Etsy to support small businesses, but when I started, I bought a few kits off of Amazon since I was only working a few times a week. This connects to the idea that of something that “demonstrates something significant about your generation under Covid”. My friends and I have all been struggling to keep busy with just the things that we have so niche hobbies like embroidery, reading, and home workouts have become something of the norm. Being able to distract ourselves for a few moments from this crazy world is the goal and I think that it will be more documented than it has been before with social media. A major way that this has impacted Gen Z is “regressing” back into the interests of our younger years. For me, I’ve begun listening to Taylor Swift and One Direction almost religiously again and revisiting some of my favorite book series from childhood for that spark of dopamine. -
2020-09-20
Coronacation
In September 2020, myself and three friends took a mini-vacation to Derry, New Hampshire in order to get out of our small town of Middleboro, MA. We rented this house and mainly did our homework and hung around playing games. From this trip, it was interesting to see the difference between Massachuttes and New Hampshire as we saw people leaving restaurants without masks and it felt more “laissez-faire” in a way. This picture connects to “the needs and considerations of an ethical archival collection”. This is because I wanted to show that I, like most people, was not a saint during quarantine and broke the rules at some points. We made sure the house was safe by disinfecting when we got there and other safety measures in order to not get sick. By acknowledging this moment, I wanted to show what I was really like during this time period, not an idealized version of myself that could do no wrong. I know that I haven’t always been the safest and it will help with my credibility. -
2020-12-09
Personal Instagram Story (December 9, 2020)
Since the unfair deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor back in May 2020, I have been posting on my Instagram story in the hopes of educating someone. While I try to defend it as activism, there is a level of performatism since I was not allowed to visit an protests with my mom’s health and seeing how the Boston police were handling the situation. It is easy to just post a picture of something that you agree with and not show yourself doing anything that will really hope. Recently I have been trying to read more books focused on theory in order to educate myself more and this has been a major focal point of my time lately. Along with this, I have also attempted to find more petitions to sign and donating more since my job has become more stable. This item connects to the criteria of “something significant about your generation”. This comes from the fact Gen Z has always had the internet as a major component in their life and many of us find our personal worth on social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Being able to see these posts everyday keeps us engaged with the world around us, however, with Instagram’s policy of random posts, not everything is being seen and it leads to certain topics not getting the same exposure. I think that while social media is good in terms of activism, there is a major need for protesters still as they are the ones that get the most change done. There is also the importance of filling the archival silence as the larger topics are being discussed. As a white woman in 2020, educating myself and making sure the voices of minorities are heard before mine. I would rather post these little infographics than about my life because educating the masses is more important than my second time visiting Michaels each week. Giving even the smallest platform to these stories is important as many of my friends have said that they have learned something new from these. It sometimes feels like I’m posting into the void, but, I hope to get the larger message across anyway that I can. -
2020-06-30
2020 Goals from June 30
This item was created in June when I had fully decided to stay home for the semester rather than renting an apartment close to campus. It was another ploy to create some kind of hope that this lockdown would be over in the next few months. There are four major sections divided into my dream room since I was allowed to remodel it (spoiler: the only thing that changed was my new bed and shifting the furniture), clothing, places that I was hoping to visit, and random photos that I wanted for my ‘aesthetic’. The only one I came even close to completing was the clothing with my four pairs of plaid pants and mountain of sweaters. Out of all the criteria listed, I think that this “item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020”. During the beginning of lockdown, self-improvement was a topic that many people in my generation along with others were attempting to tackle with this time at home. For this photo, it highlights my personal life and the things I thought was important during this time. I connected this with the Social Dilemma documentary because I did post it to Instagram for a reaction, showing the importance of social media and my computer through Photoshop is important for my life. -
2020-12-08
Mental Health in a Pandemic, 2020
“It represents my mental health in the sense that the muddled background color represents all the “crappy” things going on in the world, and the chaotic lines also represent that, but they are the more pressing matters. The chaotic lines also connect to the head, representing the way everything got to me and in my head during this, and gave me a very jealous outlook on life, because there were a lot of people better off than I was, mentally, physically, financially, even though I was not in THAT bad of a place comparatively to others. Also the different textures between watercolor, pencil, and pen is representative of the different layers and different things going on in my life all at once. I really utilized the symbolism of things as well as playing with different textures in a cohesive way to represent myself and my feelings in a more abstract way.” -Sydney Avtges's response to when I asked her how her drawing represents her mental state during the pandemic. -
2020-12-11
Mental Health Interview with a College Student
I interviewed my friend Lindsey Neri who is about to graduate from University of Connecticut this winter. I wanted to hear more about a student’s mental health one-on-one verbally, especially from the perspective of someone who is preparing for graduate school next Fall. As of now we are in an awkward spot with Covid-19 unsure as to whether or not life will be nearly back to normal a year from now. And by normal I mean no more mask mandates or mandatory online classes and work from home. Neri recognizes that she is one of the more fortunate ones in terms of being able to obtain her job but is feeling as though she may end up missing out on some potentially great opportunities when she starts grad school. Like most of us, her mental health has been very affected by this pandemic but she remains grateful for what she has in life and for the most part, keeps a positive attitude even in these troubling times. -
2020-04-06
Hospital COVID-19 Visitors Rule
This call was informing her a month before her due date that she was NOT allowed, visitors. This was one of the many different calls that caused a nerve-racking feeling. We had been in quarantine for about three weeks and it was determined that she had to go through this all alone. This call was very important because it is something you never want to be taken away from you. Sharing moments like these with your family are very valuable and in a very tough situation, you need a support system. Her spouse was not allowed either. The last month of her pregnancy she had to face alone up until the moment she was in the labor delivery room. At this point, she feared she wouldn’t be allowed to have anybody in the room with her. Luckily, Massachusetts laws allowed her to have at least one. -
2020-12-04
Retailers/Businesses Profit off COVID-19
This object represents all businesses that use the words “quarantine”, “social distance”, or any COVID-19 related word to make a catchy phrase to make a “meme” or merchandise”. I worked in retail when COVID-19 was in its earlier stages of spreading. Our shipment included countless “fashionable” face masks, tee shirts, mugs, posters, etc that were related to the pandemic. This represents our generation, as everyone is very quick and witty to make a profit or a joke off of anything going around. In earlier times, you wouldn’t find tee shirts that say “Keep Calm and Sanitize On” or “Social Distancing club” in retailers. With the technology and resources, we have now it is very easy to make these sorts of items. The idea is exploiting COVID-19 and maybe even seen as bringing light to the situation, which this generation is very well known for. This baby tee is just one example of the many witty merchandising being sold almost everywhere. -
2020-03-25
Mandatory shopping orders implemented to help pregnant women
When these orders by the state and corporations were released everyone was reading them. These played a very important role in ethics. Governor Baker and many stores like Target released orders to implement for shoppers during the pandemic. There were large crowds, long lines, and hectic shopping everywhere, these orders were placed to help those at a disadvantage. Baker said stores must allow an hour before regular hours for those 60 or older and this included disabled people and pregnant women. Target‘s order specifies that pregnant women were allowed to come in during shopping hours that were restricted to these certain groups of people. This is a very ethical thing to do for these people. Standing in line or being high risk in crowds was very dangerous for everyone, but especially for these people. These orders relate to an ethical archive piece that represents how pregnant women were treated during the pandemic. This was a small advantage for them in these unprecedented times. These were put out to reassure their accountability if a situation struck out where these people were put in danger in the crowds when shopping. Also, they both acted in this very quickly, they knew it was ethically the right thing to do, in order to protect these people with a disadvantage or at high risk. -
2020-03-27
Marginalized groups in a pandemic
This article is focused on how COVID-19 affected a pregnant woman's birthing experience, especially harming black and native women. This article is very interesting to read and compare it to Brittany's story. Shaine Garcia and Brittany both were hoping for a healthy and smooth experience while giving birth, and COVID did not let that happen for them. The author mentions how the rules implemented allowed no visitors or accompany in these appointments. This prevented doulas and midwives from also being there. Those who were fortunate enough to have home births, midwives, or doulas were at advantage compared to those who could not afford this privilege. “Among mothers with low socioeconomic status, 18.7 percent of white women reported mistreatment compared to 27.2 percent of women of color. Indigenous women were the most likely to report experiencing at least one form of mistreatment by health-care providers during birth, followed by Black and Hispanic women,” says the Giving Voice to Mothers study.” This is the reason many prefer to have doulas because the black maternal mortality rate is twelve times a white woman. There are many disadvantages to those that could not have a home birth or the presence of extra support while giving birth. It is a very dangerous situation for these marginalized groups of women, that are not being treated correctly, especially during a pandemic where they are likely to face it alone. This correlates to the criteria of an item that attempts to fill an archival silence and amplify the voices of marginalized groups. Many people are not aware of the mistreatment happening to black and native women in hospitals. Doulas and midwives are there to help support and protect the mother in many more ways than people know, and because of covid-19, these privileges are being taken away. Although this article doesn’t specify those women who can’t afford them anyway, these women are being silenced. This article serves the purpose to educate and inform those that it is an issue going on and possibly getting worse during the pandemic. This is an article that shares the experiences of black and native pregnant women and how their experiences differ much more than other women. It was found through research. -
2020-12-04
A Mother’s Birthing Experience during COVID-19
I watched her go through the entire pregnancy from October-April and in these months, COVID-19 was introduced, declared as a pandemic, and was being researched while we all quarantined. Giving birth is never easy, and for Brittany (the mother) this was her third pregnancy, her first child being born prematurely with complications, her second a C-section, and was hoping for a more smooth experience for her third but then the pandemic happened. She feared getting sick in the hospital but also not being ready to be home and just take phone calls in case of emergencies or appointments. This is an Item of interest to future historians that helps illustrate something particularly significant about the year 2020, because it is a first-hand experience of what happened inside the hospital, before, during, and after giving birth. This will help historians better understand a mother's mindset and the regulations implemented in the hospital. This item holds a voice recorded experience that was lived in an important time in history. -
2020-12-10
Rajni Komal Oral History, 2020/12/10
The contributor of this item did not include verbal or written consent. We attempted to contact contributor (or interviewee if possible) to get consent, but got no response or had incomplete contact information. We can not allow this interview to be listened to without consent but felt the metadata is important. The recording and transcript are retained by the archive and not public. Should you wish to listen to audio file reach out to the archive and we will attempt to get consent. -
2020-03
March Madness
In the beginning of the pandemic during the month of March students, myself included, were advised to bring their stuff home as in person classes would be canceled for the duration of the school year. Pictured is my freshman year roommate, in half empty room as she moved out before me. This is a very sentimental image to me as its the last one I have of a room I truly cherished. Memories and friends were built and grew within that room, I believe it maybe the last authentic college experience that I have. I will never access to that space or room again and I will never be surrounded by the same students either as many of them have chosen to stay home this semester. This beginning of the pandemic and since there drastic changes to my life and others lives have been made. I now live by myself for the safety and concern of myself and others however it has begun to feel lonely and unlike a proper college experience. This picture demonstrates that last time that things felt normal, as we had no idea that it this pandemic would continue to the next semester and impact us so dramatically. -
2020-10-29
Keys, Wallet, Mask
The image I chose to share was of the basket of masks in my room. Never in my life could I have predicted that this would be something I have, never mind how much of a staple it would become in my everyday life. I think what I titles thing story holds a certain importance as well. Keys, Wallet, Mask, really emphasizes how much masks have come to be a part of my daily routine. Going from living at home to moving into my new apartment in North End during the middle of the pandemic in July, just minutes from Downtown Boston, I went from only wearing a masks when going to get groceries indoors to wearing a mask every time I walk out my front door, even just walking down the street. I truly has just become such a natural thing to have a mask on my face and for everyone I walk by to have one on as well. I think the significance of the mask during the pandemic and that it has really been the only constant in my or everyone’s lives throughout this COVID-19 experience. Every day I hear contradicting statements about the pandemic, not knowing what’s true and what’s not. My masks for me symbolize a sense of protection at a very vulnerable time in life. I’m not sure if they help or if they don’t, but I know for sure that wearing a mask has given me some sense of security throughout all this chaos and uncertainty. -
2020-10-29
Essentials that are hard to find during COVID-19
I submitted this image because it represents the cleaning items that are essential in my life but have been hard to find because of COVID. Many people were restricted about how many Clorox wipes they could buy at the store. It was weird to go to the store and not find the cleaning products I need. When I found an item such as Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, I would send a text to my friends and family to let them know which store had them in stock. I would also try to buy several Lysol Laundry Sanitizers so that I could give them to my friends and family. Prior to COVID, cleaning products would not be a gift that you would give your friends and family, but it became a thoughtful item that you could give to your loved ones. For several weeks it was difficult for me to find Lysol laundry sanitizer. It was scary to go to the store and find the shelves empty. Luckily, I had already stockpiled prior to COVID so I had plenty for several months. -
2020-10-29
Mask Storage Solution
I submitted this image because it is a solution to a problem I thought I would never have. When Covid-19 started, my partner and I immediately started wearing masks. We felt it was something we could control during an uncertain time. As the months went on, and our cloth mask collection grew, we needed a place to keep them without being in the way. We purchased some adhesive hooks and placed them near our front door. Every time we leave the house our routine is to check for phone, wallet, keys, and mask. We have adapted quite well to our masks and by purchasing options that display our personalities, it feels as if we are making the best out of a bad situation. This image is meaningful to me because it represents our new routine. Masks are now just part of our daily checklist before leaving for work or to run errands. I do not mind wearing a mask, but I sometimes look at our collection and wonder how long it might be until we can retire our collection of masks. -
2020-10-29
A Collection of Quarantine Paintings
I am posting this photo because it showcases how I have spent a lot of my time during the pandemic. This photo displays every painting I have created since the beginning of quarantine. Some of the works shown in the picture are still works in progress and others are completed. Before Covid prevailed and we were sent home in the spring, I had lost interest in painting and had not painted in months. The lockdown that Covid brought on allowed me to slow down and rekindle the love and creativity I had for painting. In this photo, there are 14 paintings, however, I have made more and gave them to friends as gifts. I mainly work with acrylic paint on canvas because I like vibrant color and solid lines, although, I would like to start experimenting with oil paints soon. Covid-19 brought on many obstacles to a lot of people but I am grateful that I was allowed to reconnect with painting -
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. -
2020-10-29
How the Pandemic Changed Us
On March 13th, 2020, my entire life shut down with the rest of Massachusetts. My public school job closed, my university closed and my life began only existing in the four rooms of my apartment. My time became dedicated to my toddler, I became a stay at home mom, student and caretaker full time. The world around us had stopped completely, or so it felt. Quarantine was in full affect and people were stuck inside for months.Then, almost magically, our communities began to come together. I have witnessed some of the most beautiful things I for so long ignored because of the business of every day life, I witnessed nature and humanity again. I began appreciating the little things again. Quarantine had become a time to reflect, grow and appreciate the world around me. This horrible situation began to blossom into people supporting each other, clapping for the healthcare workers nightly, singing together out their windows, thanking each other. I share this image because I realized in the midst of everything that has been bad about this year, I’m reminded daily that there is always positivity in the world, even when everything around us feels negative. -
2020-08-10
Going in Blind
Throughout this pandemic, one of the hardest hit groups of people in terms of how much the community wide lock down halted life for the time being, were high school seniors. This picture was taken as a replacement for what prom photos would have been in May. While this might come off as a shallow thing to place importance on, these prom photos we took mean more than just trying to reclaim the high school experience. Of the girls in this photo, four of us are now college freshmen. In our last few weeks together we took every opportunity to get together for lunches, dinner, or drive in movies, things that we took for granted pre-covid. As a result, the pandemic has ingrained in me a very important principle to have: live as presently as you can. I can honestly say that my best friends and I are closer than we ever could have been had our high school experiences not been put on pause for six months. I appreciate their company more, and I believe wholeheartedly that our experiences apart, and subsequently together, have strengthened our bond for good. -
2020-04-05
How Covid-19 Broke Apart and Reassembled My Life: My Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Coronavirus is not a one person issue. Everyone has had to deal with it and no one has been unaffected. I would like to recount for the archive my personal struggles during this pandemic so that they may be used for research purposes in dealing with something like this in the future. Before the pandemic started, I was a senior in high school. I had just asked my girlfriend to prom, which was just a few months away, and I had a 4.5 gpa for my senior year compared to my 3.5 for the rest of high school. I was excited to run spring track and try to break 5 minutes in the mile for the first time in high school. I hung out nearly everyday with my best friends. I had just committed to Suffolk University and was excited for the future. I didn’t really realize how bad Covid-19 was going to be until what would be our last day of school. It was a thursday, and all of us thought it would be a quick two week break to get rid of the virus and we would all be back. Obviously, that was not the case. I am a pretty social person, so when the lockdown was announced a week later, I really struggled with staying inside. Even with facetime, xbox live chat, and texting, I was not able to get enough social interaction. I felt extremely lonely. Spring sports were obviously also cancelled. This was just the first domino to fall in a long list of unfortunate events for me that, no doubt, many others experienced as well. A few weeks into lockdown, my girlfriend called me in tears telling me that her blood condition, which affects her nerve endings in almost her entire body, had gotten much more severe. Even worse, Covid-19 was making it harder to go to the hospital for the treatments. For her health, we had to break up, and I have not talked to or heard from her since. My older brother had also moved home from college at this point from UMass Amherst. While my younger brother and I have always done well in school and been well behaved kids, the same could not be said for my older brother. An avid weed smoker and oftentimes alcohol abuser, I had to share a room with him for all of quarantine, and continue to do so now. He experienced a lot less rules and a lot more freedom while in college, and did not transition well back to the stricter rules of our household, and often took this out on me. While he did not physically harm me, as I am much stronger than him, he continued to throw flurries of insults and mental abuse at me, ruining my every day. He also did this to the rest of my family, making it hell for everyone at home. At one point, my mother kicked him out, and he had to live with his boyfriend for a while. My mother also did not deal well with staying inside. She has struggled with her weight almost her entire adult life, and the closing of gyms during Covid-19 made her lose all motivation to stay in shape. She gained almost 100 pounds back in 2 months. My older brother coming home also caused her mounds of stress. Since my younger brother hid in his own locked room, and my older brother screamed or stormed out when my mom got mad at us, she took out all of her frustrations on me for the smallest things, taking away the devices I used to contact all my friends just because I had forgotten to put my shoes away or do the dishes. My father and my younger brother both dealt much better with the situation, but that did not save me from the rest of my family. After missing school and all my friends, getting my spring sport cancelled, losing my girlfriend, my brother and mother constantly berating and harassing me, and having nowhere to go but my shared room with no privacy, I began to free fall into a major case of depression and suicidal thoughts. Prior to this pandemic, I had never spoken with a therapist. I used to get bullied in elementary and middle school, but I always had ways of coping such as sports, hanging out with friends, and focusing on school, but now I had a real problem on my hands. After about 4 weeks of struggling inside of my own head, I finally realized I needed professional help. My parents set me up with a woman named Rachel via Zoom, and I talk to her every thursday. She is a licensed therapist, and is part of the new wave of technological medical care in this time of a pandemic. While she has not solved my problems, both the easing of restrictions and her mental guidance has helped me to cope with my situation. I am very grateful for her, and although I am not fully back to where I was before the pandemic, I am continuing to recover to this day. I leave to move in at Suffolk in 5 days, and I could not be more excited for the change of scenery, new friends, and a chance to continue my sport into college. The pandemic has been hard on everyone, and I am sure that I am not alone in my struggles. I wrote this so that people can look back in the future to realize just how devastating an impact can have on one individual’s life if not handled properly, because Covid-19 genuinely rocked my world. -
2020-08-21
Life and Politics by Zoom
In February of 2020, I was a high school senior trying to finish up high school and think about what I was trying to be doing the next school year. By March, the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker declared a stay-at-home order and I was finishing high school by doing assignments and emailing them to teachers. Then the shut-down really evolved as my high school prom and graduation were both canceled. Well, our graduation was only partially canceled. Six students receiving diplomas were allowed to show up every 30 minutes, with no more than five family members present, and everyone remained socially distant throughout the process. My parents both started working from home and always seemed to be doing something I had not previously heard of, Zoom calls. To get a head start on college, I had signed up for a Summer class at Suffolk University. Amongst other reasons, I had chosen Suffolk for its proximate location to my home, its outstanding science facilities (a brand-new sciences and lab building), urban feel and connections to local businesses, hospitals, and research facilities. Then the class went remote and Zoom meetings became the norm for me. The Politics of a Global Pandemic class involved a weekly Zoom forum with panelists from around the world. Topics varied weekly, but the theme always involved global politics around this pandemic. At first, I figured it would be mainly US politics, since it is a presidential election year. Then we talked about a variety of pandemic's global impacts, economic effects, cultural changes, and how society and political leaders view these challenges. We didn't use Zoom calls in those last few months of my senior year of high school. Then two months later, Zoom became so mainstream that the biggest political convention of my lifetime (to date) was actually held virtually. The title of the article, "The DNC Is the Best Zoom Meeting of 2020—So Far" resonates as it seems like this could be just the beginning. I turned 18 just prior to the pandemic and registered to vote. From what I've seen in online videos of past conventions, were speeches, political endorsements, and balloons cascading from the ceiling of a stadium as a candidate accepts his or her party nomination. This pandemic changed things for me, for global politics, and society so drastically, I wonder when or if in-person schooling and politics will ever be what I saw and experienced over the course of my life. I’m now registered for all virtual classes this fall; and probably more Zoom calls. -
2020-02-14
The End to my High School Track Career
It was Valentines Day this year and I just got out of school and was prepped for my last race for my high school track season indoors. I was shocked that my coach gave my teammates and I the opportunity to run at Reggie one last time as we were barely qualified to run the 4x800. Distance running wasn’t something that I could describe as being experienced in however I was deeply invested in the sport as my diet, my routine and how I functioned daily was a mere resultant of it being in my life. At the time I knew a little about COVID seeing how it began to affect New York the most and how Massachusetts has seen a couple sightings of it as well starting to see some cases arise in the Boston area and throughout the state in general. Once my team got to Boston, the meet shortly started and I knew that I had a couple hours to chill around and get myself into the mindset of running well and quickly in my event. I finished my homework and I proceeded to look around the center with my friends just chatting and laughing like normal teenagers would do to pass the time. I got to see one of my best friends beat his personal best in the 1000 meter by large chunks of seconds and I knew that this would be the start of a positive day in the realm of Tewksbury running. My other best friend was able to run under 10 minutes in the 2 mile as he was qualified to get a medal for beating out the last Billerica kid that was in his way(in Track, there was some tension between my town and Billerica due to the proximity of the towns and the competition that they had). After bolstering enough energy to yell at them, I got my opportunity to run. Even though my race was short lived and I was put in a negative mindset for how poor I ran the race and wasn’t happy with my time, I was able to goof off and hype up my other teammates who absolutely killed it in their races. The sad part of it all was how I told myself that in spring I would be able to crush my current personal best in the 800 meter with ease by training. Too bad I wasn’t informed then that my highschool career for track ended there. In April, I reached out to the coach of Suffolk University to talk about my passion for the sport and how I wanted to continue my journey in improving my ability to race hard. Once I heard back from him and got the “ok”, I was pumped and excited because now I know that I can train my heart out for a sport that I love and see myself grow slowly over time. Some of the positives though were short lived as it hit me like a truck when I found out that I had posterior tibial tendonitis in my left ankle. At first glance, an injury such as this seems measly small and could be healed with proper assistance due to icing and stretching but this is my second time getting this type of tendonitis in the same ankle and it took me a little over two months to heal before running again. An added wound to this scar was the fact that I couldn’t cross train in some sort of practice area where I normally can be injured with having the comfort of other individuals surrounding me to forget that I ever got injured in the first place. Running by yourself is a mental obstacle for runners during the pandemic as they need to adapt to now mainly listening to their own footsteps. Being injured at home left me with the image that my teammates are progressing through the summer making the best of this situation and improving as distance runners while I had to chill at home and maybe substitute my daily run for a little more strength. A constant seventy days of that took a toll out of me as that was really the one excuse I can tell my parents to let me get out of the house for a bit. During quarantine and my time off, all I wanted was to goof off again with my friends as we question certain people who may be looking at us funny when we run or decide to run in the trails with nearly getting ourselves hurt. The copious amount of games of spikeball after a practice and the dinners right after runs were drilling right through my mind as the months of May through early July hit. Running is a great stress reliever for me and with the addition of being around people who adore the sport as much as myself, it feels like a second home that I could be myself and be able to progress well in. It made me look back on this Valentines Day and repeat to myself that I took some things for granted which were my passion for the sport in the atmosphere of having other people who love it as much as me and the time spent in general. -
2020-08-23
Having No Mouth
My story of the Quarantine is that initially I was kind of excited about the prospect of having an excuse to stay indoors. This is due to the fact that I am a homebody and would rather chill with my friends rather than go to parties. However, one thing that I did not think of was that not only would I be staying home most of the time, but a majority of the rest of my family would as well. When I was younger, having everyone home was not a problem, but now we are all grown up, and we all need our space. Due to Quarantine, getting that space that I wanted was rather hard. It felt like I was having a hard time being able to be alone without someone hearing what I was saying. Not only that, but it was also hard because the conflicts in my family came to become more and more prevalent/ This is due to the fact that things like the college process and transitioning from high school to college seemed to have been made a lot harder. Instead of this Summer being relaxing and giving me room to breathe, it was made into one of the hardest times of my life. The short story titled "I Have Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison captures how I felt during the pandemic. In the story, the characters are trapped underground and are totally helpless to the situation that they find themselves in. In many ways, I felt almost the same way to these characters. I felt like I was trapped in a place that I felt as though I had no control over anything because it was not my domain. Like the narrator of the story, I too felt as though I had no mouth by the end of it all. This is due to the fact that I am not the best at standing up for myself or handling conflicts. Not only that, but I feel like whenever I would try to argue my point, I always felt like nothing would happen. Even if anything did happen that went my way, it always felt like it was not enough to feel like a victory. By the end, it would just reinforce my unwillingness to speak up for myself or to just let things go and allow them to continue. I hope that I will be able to improve things once my time at Suffolk starts and when this Quarantine ends. -
2020-08-15
Good news in a difficult time.
I remember the beginning of pandemic in Boston like it was yesterday. Coming back from work I was worried about everyone’s’ and my own future. I had just started a new job at the restaurant that quickly become empty as people preferred to stay home and not take a risk of getting infected after having brunch. Speaking about myself, I was mentally and financially at the lowest point in last 10 years of my life. I saw myself as a foreigner with no future who has to work 17 hours a day, having two – three jobs just to survive. I was afraid to get Covid, to lose my job, to not be able to pay rent. And then lockdown happened. During the first three weeks I’ve lost my job and wasn’t able to collect unemployment. The level of stress was nearly unmanageable. Every day I was on the phone trying to reach out any representative who could help me. Every day was restless and sleepless, until few events that seemed to be magical happened. Firstly, unemployment benefits were made available to me. The amount was $600 more than I thought it would be and I was eligible for a stimulus check too. For many people in USA it wasn’t much money but for me, it was twice what I had been making by working. It also was proof of my belief in paying taxes. I have paid taxes ever since I’ve been employed and always thought that even though I might not have gotten anything from doing so right away, there would come a time when doing so would help me. So, it did and did so because of unexpected circumstances and at a time when I was struggling more than I ever had. The news got even better for me despite what was go on around me. I received a letter I had been waiting for my entire life that told me I had been accepted to Suffolk University. I have always wanted to go to university so receiving this great news at such a hard time meant a great deal to me. I also received a scholarship to Suffolk meaning I could actually attend. I went through a number of life changing events in a very short period of time and all during a complete lockdown when I couldn’t really leave home for weeks at a time. I didn’t feel comfortable to show off my happiness whilst the numbers of cases and deaths were rapidly increasing. Ethically it was wrong from my point of view. But now, when everything seems to be getting better and there’s a hope to win the battle with Covid-19 I’m happy to be where I am and glad to share my happy-ending story with you. -
2020-06-11
Graduating during a pandemic - Krystal Rodrigues (Suffolk University)
Like most kids, I had dreamed of the day I would walk across the stage to receive my diploma, but due to COVID-19, the Class of 2020 missed out on that moment. I graduated from high school this year and I experienced my final year with a global pandemic. The uncertainty of this pandemic led to the cancelation of our graduation. My peers and I had to say our goodbyes online and our school made a video for our graduation where they called out all our names. However, we would’ve felt happier to have experienced a normal senior year. -
2020-08-22
New Opportunity
This story tells you how thanks to the pandemic, the opportunity of a summer class has benefited me in many ways and has opened up a clearer first year. -
2020-08-16
The Hottest New Accessory
Masks. In the span of just a few weeks, I went from never having worn one before to wearing one nearly every day. As a person with several autoimmune diseases, COVID-19 poses an existential threat to my health. Masks are not just about being allowed in a grocery store, or avoiding the ridicule of others; they are a matter of survival. I have now amassed quite the collection, partly out of convenience- I never want to find myself without a clean one- and partly out of fear. We are now in the fifth month of COVID restrictions, with a distinct possibility of another five or more to come. What if there is another PPE shortage? What if I become too sick to sew my own? So dutifully I collect, buying and making and sharing, just in case. Written by Meghan E. Donahue, incoming junior at Suffolk University. -
2020-08-22
Transferring in Trying Times
The story and personal photograph illustrate my experience as a transfer student during COVID-19. This includes the locations of colleges to which I applied and what factors ultimately led to my decision. -
2020-08-20
Working from Home and Preparing for College During a Pandemic
Everyone had to adjust their way of living during this pandemic. COVID brought a lot of challenges with it, for me like for example with preparing for college while also working from home. -
2020-08-20
Transitions During a Still World: My Time as a TA
The world stopped. Everything about our daily lives that we loved (even the things we hated) became abnormal. After being sent home abruptly from my study abroad experience, I was aching for something academically stimulating to do with my summer. Internships were cancelled, and the world only seemed to be doing their daily doses of reading through social media. The position to become a Teaching Assistant for a newly created Politics of the Pandemic course fell into my lap. This blessing of a position gave me the chance to not only help a professor teach the national and global problems that COVID-19 brought into the world, but gave me the chance to truly influence the newest class of Suffolk Rams. A year ago, becoming a TA had given me a true, tangible connection to Suffolk, and this summer I got to aid 38 students in finding their own reasons to love the school. Even during a pandemic, when the world seems still, transitions are happening. I consider myself lucky to be a part of so many individual lives and transitions. -
2020-08-18
Crafting to Keep Sane! - Suffolk University
Every New Year, I make a promise to myself to try my hand at a new skill. In 2020 I was eager to learn how to embroider. Of course, only a few months into this year, we were slammed with the reality of Covid-19. Many of us felt depressed and isolated. I know that I was feeling especially guilty about all the extra time I had at home but felt no motivation to try and achieve goals that I had set earlier in the year. One day in April I was scrolling Reddit and came across an embroidery group. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had not even attempted to try my hand at embroidery! Lucky for me, I already had the supplies. I sat there a while wondering what to stich. Then the image, we all know so well by now, of the Coronavirus molecule popped up on the Nightly News. I knew that would be my pattern for my first ever attempt at needlepoint. It quickly became a small project that I am very proud of and it is my little souvenir from this crazy year. -
2020-06-16
My Mental Health
The reason this photo is so important to me, and could be meaningful to others, is because this was when my mental health began to recover. Many people like myself struggled with mental health issues throughout the pandemic, and this picture was a massive turning point for my well-being. -
2020-08-15
Campaigning in The Time of COVID - Nick Cook, Suffolk University
(note: nothing written here represents the views of the candidates or parties represented here - this is solely the personal memoir of one Nick Cook) Volunteering for a political campaign even during the best of times is a weird experience. Your day to day mission is to knock on the doors of—or call on—complete strangers (or at best someone you have a vague memory of seeing at a rally some time ago) and ask them if they can take a moment out of their complicated and hectic lives to hear from the gospel of whichever chosen candidate you're preaching, in the hope that, in about a week or two they'll still remember enough of your spiel to fill in that person's bubble. The coronavirus has not made that any easier. I do feel, however, that it has created a weird sense of camaraderie in those of us who are still trying to push the gears of democracy in this plague year, or whatever name you media types have christened it. I personally am not the type of person who supports campaigns that can afford to have their faces splashed across TV screens and names plastered on billboards. Doorknocking and trying to love thy neighbor is—to me—still the best way to do the business of democracy. I entered politics because I wanted to have some sense of control of my life and community. To make the lives of the people around me just a little easier and a little less anxiety free. So that maybe one day no kid is going to have to come home to an empty refrigerator and no one will ever have to experience the pain of living paycheck by paycheck again. Seeing that lightbulb on people's faces when I talk to them about a candidate or that little smile on their face as I wave goodbye and thank them for their time is why I do this. It's knowing that maybe I made a little change for the day. So coronavirus taking that away from me was hard. I'd like to say that my doubts about campaigning digitally were actually wrong and one day I had a really fulfilling phone call with a voter where we both connected with each other in these lonely times or I had an incredibly amazing Zoom session that changed everything. But I didn't. It's just been a very taxing time that I'm pushing through because I can't stand sitting alone at the house with my thoughts anymore. In the week or so leading up to the election, I got the chance to do at least a little in-person campaigning. Waving and holding signs on street corners, putting literature in doorways, that kind of thing. As well as the chance to stand socially-distanced outside of polling places on primary election day. The people I met on the campaign trail here were just as tired and ready for things to change as I was. One State House candidate compared this campaign season to running for office in a cave and that about summed it up for me. Seeing Tanya Vyhovsky, a social worker and therapist, win her primary election to represent my neighboring town of Essex was also the first real-time I felt joy. Someone who comes from that background and experience and isn't just another lawyer or landlord and has a truly transformative vision for society winning is always great to see. Similarly my home state of Vermont also likely elected Taylor Small, our first transgender lawmaker, and someone who shares that vision. Seeing these victories and meeting everyone who pushed for them along the way has renewed me with a new sense of life in the political realm. Campaigning in the age of COVID has also begun to truly impart on me the lesson that democracy doesn't just come from the ballot box but needs to be expanded into our workplaces, community gatherings, and social lives. However, this is a story for another time. (Join your local union and mutual aid society!) -
2020-08-16
Two Worlds, One Virus: Campaigning During Pandemic
In the heat of one of the most consequential Presidential Campaigns, both President Trump and Vice President Biden still have to get their deliver their messages of the future to the American people. Vice President Biden has headed warning of the virus and switched to a campaign that mitigates the risk of spreading the virus: online events and restricted in-person events that follow social distancing and mask rules for the speakers and news there. Meanwhile, President Trump has insisted on holding his rallies with no precautions in place, thus resulting in lower than expected turnout. For the average American, who sees campaigns as a race to kiss the most babies and shake the most hands, this race is far from normal. However, both of the candidates have still been getting extreme news coverage, and many people are seeing more to politics as a result of staying home. -
2020-03-30
nicole's journal
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05/27/2020
Cut off from Tutoring, Students Pivot to Creating Care Packages for Schoolchildren
When their in-person service-learning experience was short-lived due to the coronavirus, Suffolk University students continued their community-based efforts remotely by creating care packages that included food, books, and mental health information. The goal of the new Head, Health, and Heart initiative was to provide underserved children and teens with the most fundamental needs in order to survive, and 200 of the neediest families from four Boston public schools benefited. -
2020-04-28
Fort COVID
My laptop died, so I headed to Sawyer Library in search of a replacement laptop, a much needed item in this COVID time. With only a select few stores open and selling electronics and with no inventory due to manufacturing restrictions, I was forced into the possibility of borrowing one from the library. Passing through security, I noticed that Tom, who said he never left, still collects the university's newspapers, which are piling up. The newspapers behind him belong to other depts. on campus. Meanwhile, the library's newspapers sit in buckets around the corner waiting to be claimed. I call these piles "Fort COVID". -
2020-03-29
Poll: Vast Support for Widespread Shutdowns to Protect Mass. Public Health, press release
Eighty percent of Massachusetts residents support Gov. Baker's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 96 percent supporting school closures, 94 percent approving the halt of restaurant dining-in, 93 percent supporting the shuttering of bars, and 92 percent agreeing that nonessential businesses should be closed to the public, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll. -
2020-05-05
Suffolk University/WGBH News/Boston Globe Poll: Coronavirus Has Cut Income for Nearly Half of Mass. Residents
The survey examined the economic fallout from the pandemic in Massachusetts, the extension of the stay-at-home advisory and closing of nonessential businesses, state and national leadership during the pandemic, perceptions about compliance with wearing masks and social distancing, comfort levels for resuming certain activities, and mail-in voting. -
2020-04-22
Suffolk University Instagram April 22, 2020
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic -
2020-04-21
Suffolk University Instagram April 21, 2020
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic -
2020-04-15
Suffolk University Instagram April 15, 2020
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic -
2020-04-13
Suffolk University Instagram April 13, 2020
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic -
2020-04-08
Suffolk University Instagram April 8, 2020
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic -
2020-04-06
Suffolk University Instagram April 6
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic -
2020-04-01
Suffolk University Instagram April 1, 2020
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic -
2020-03-30
Suffolk University Instagram March 30, 2020
Suffolk University Interfaith Center online programming during pandemic