Item
Mikayla Augustine Oral History, 2022/05/22
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
Mikayla Augustine Oral History, 2022/05/22
Disclaimer (Dublin Core)
DISCLAIMER: This item may have been submitted in response to a school assignment prompt. See Linked Data.
Description (Dublin Core)
I asked the interviewee how the pandemic affected her experience at UB
Recording Date (Dublin Core)
May 15, 2022
Creator (Dublin Core)
Corryn McPherson
Mikayla Augustine
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Corryn McPherson
Event Identifier (Dublin Core)
History459
Partner (Dublin Core)
University At Buffalo
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
English
Pandemic Skeptics
English
Gender & Sexuality
English
Education--Universities
English
Emotion
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
mental health
COVID19
pandemic
education
high school
senior
college
Contributor's Tags (a true folksonomy) (Friend of a Friend)
pandemic
covid19
UB
Linked Data (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
05/16/2022
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
05/16/2022
04/06/2023
06/08/2023
02/19/2024
Date Created (Dublin Core)
05/16/2022
Interviewer (Bibliographic Ontology)
Corryn McPherson
Interviewer Email (Friend of a Friend)
Corryn McPherson
Interviewee (Bibliographic Ontology)
Mikayla Augustine
Location (Omeka Classic)
14228
Amherst
United States of America
Format (Dublin Core)
Audio
abstract (Bibliographic Ontology)
Corryn McPherson asked Mikayla Augustine how the pandemic affected her experience at the University at Buffalo.
Transcription (Omeka Classic)
Corryn McPherson 0:00
Do you like to remain anonymous? Can I have your first and last name?
Mikayla Augustine 0:05
Mikayla Augustine.
Corryn McPherson 0:07
Okay, what's your sex?
Mikayla Augustine
I am a female.
Corryn McPherson
And your ethnicity?
Mikayla Augustine 0:12
I am a black individual.
Corryn McPherson 0:14
Okay, so how old were you when COVID started?
Mikayla Augustine 0:18
That's a great question. I'm down. I think I was 17. Yeah, I was 17 years old, I think when I started.
Corryn McPherson 0:29
Okay, and what grade were you in?
Mikayla Augustine 0:33
I was in my senior year of high school, unfortunately.
Corryn McPherson 0:37
Okay. And not that COVID Excuse me, not that COVID ended, but like, what year are you now?
Mikayla Augustine
I am a sophomore in college.
Corryn McPherson
Okay, and what school do you attend?
Mikayla Augustine 1:00
University? So what was it like attending this university during the pandemic? Well,
I've kind of transferred into here when the pandemic started coming down. My first year college was completely online. So I decided to go to a college that was, you know, near me. It was weird. Because even though we kind of had the experience from it, starting when I was in high school, since we had a little bit of experience of it already being online, I still think we didn't fully adjusted to our whole society being shifted to this different worlds. I think it said back society a little bit, especially in the communication department. But other than that, it was iOS female. Whoo, yah, hoo. You know, my bed was my classroom. So that was cool. School, he was now what's in my kitchen. So there was that
Corryn McPherson 1:48
What was it like learning during the pandemic at the school?
Mikayla Augustine 1:56
Learning is a complicated thing, because I'm not going to ask like, I didn't take advantage of it. However, I don't think it was actually learning, because there were so many different things that people allowed. And I think, even if people didn't want a minute, there was a lot of cheating going on. So I think it was just us trying to get through it rather than us actually having a learning process.
Corryn McPherson
Okay, and how did COVID affect your mental health and your finances?
Mikayla Augustine
Oh, finances, and once a crop. We, we didn't know what to do. We never been through anything like that my family personally. Um, I think the fact that my parents are from Haiti kind of helped, because they're former poor countries, so they know how to salvage things together and to make things work. But I was kind of grateful of just Oh, no, making it through being alive, being fortunate enough to have a house to stay in being fortunate to have health insurance. In case anything did happen, just having that sense of security mentally. Surprisingly, it helped me a lot because during high school, I went through a lot of stuff, and my mental health was kind of crap. But having that time by myself, I started speaking, weirdly enough, I started to gain confidence, I started embracing my natural hair, the looks I already had, I started getting mental courage about what I believe in. I started becoming more self aware. I went through a crappy friend experience that taught me a lot more things about myself and how I should view the world. So there was that.
Corryn McPherson 2:21
Um, what do you think? Well, what do you think that you be could have done better or something you disagree with how the school handled it?
Mikayla Augustine 2:30
COVID when it came to COVID, it could be mass mandates, vaccination, it could be along those lines, or it could be the teaching the shutting everything down.
It's not even for religious with COVID. But the dynamic period. I won't say just the athletic department, because I honestly don't know if this was just the athletic department. It could be other sections of the scoring. But letting people who boast up the reputation of the school just get away with anything. Because at that point, it wasn't even benefiting anybody. I would understand that the athletes would show up to school with no mask on or just doing whatever the hell they want. With the excuse that they're athletes. and you know they're needed at school and complaining about them or doing anything about them would be a complete and utter waste of time. And it goes so much more further than them just being athletes who are not only risking the health of others but themselves. But there's another topic for another time, I just think they should have did the mask mandate more strictly and I'm not gonna lie took advantage of that myself, but it was a health risk to my own. So, you know, I think they should have been a little more conscious. Yeah. There you go. That's, that's about it, though. Because other than that, there was more of not what the UB itself as an institution can do, but more about what the teachers allowed and what they could do. Because there were some teachers like, Oh, if you're sitting down crazy while you take that upon yourself, but due to law, I'm going to say you shouldn't come to class. And then there were some teachers were like, if you feel like you're sick, you have to stay home, we will accommodate you, you know, you have the option to stay home you have the option to come to class, we have zooming so you can still connect, you know, teachers who put in that extra effort is like going to school is honestly is what makes it worth going to school. During especially during times like
Corryn McPherson 4:10
This- what was one of the positive things you beat it during the pandemic?
Mikayla Augustine 6:21
Once again, it's not like the solution complete do anything with send out messages? It's I don't know what you mean as an intuition is as an institution. I think individual wise, like you, we like people who represent UVM professors. I think one of the amazing things, like I said, is creating multiple mods and waits for kids to connect to school and learn without necessarily having them feel like they're putting themselves in danger putting themselves in the way of danger. Or being able to be second at home but feel up enough to learn they can go to class online, or they can still connect their to their work, or they can make up the work. I think the shirt was amazing.
Corryn McPherson 7:22
So do you view up after all these things you listen to you view up in a negative or positive light?
Mikayla Augustine 7:51
I think you'd be so grateful. Or I'm sorry, that's okay. I think UB is a great school to be honest with you. Coming to UB has made me grow a lot. So I can't really see it in a negative light. I mean, there's nothing really like nothing bad has happened to me. I've met so many nice people. It gave me different experiences to go through. Um, you know, with COVID coming down a little bit and me being able to come out here to live here. It's my first time I've been by myself having to take care of myself paying bills by myself, I got to meet other people who have their different experiences. I get to meet teachers. It's a different type of interactive experience and learning experience. So honestly, I can't really look at it in negative light. I have nothing but positive memories from the school. And all of the negative memories I do have. It's not necessarily in the control of the institution. Generally speaking, it's not really in control of anybody, but some of that was out of control. So I can't really see you being anything but a positive light.
Corryn McPherson 8:51
I like that. It's a wrap for the interview. Thanks for letting me interview; that was a dope one.
Do you like to remain anonymous? Can I have your first and last name?
Mikayla Augustine 0:05
Mikayla Augustine.
Corryn McPherson 0:07
Okay, what's your sex?
Mikayla Augustine
I am a female.
Corryn McPherson
And your ethnicity?
Mikayla Augustine 0:12
I am a black individual.
Corryn McPherson 0:14
Okay, so how old were you when COVID started?
Mikayla Augustine 0:18
That's a great question. I'm down. I think I was 17. Yeah, I was 17 years old, I think when I started.
Corryn McPherson 0:29
Okay, and what grade were you in?
Mikayla Augustine 0:33
I was in my senior year of high school, unfortunately.
Corryn McPherson 0:37
Okay. And not that COVID Excuse me, not that COVID ended, but like, what year are you now?
Mikayla Augustine
I am a sophomore in college.
Corryn McPherson
Okay, and what school do you attend?
Mikayla Augustine 1:00
University? So what was it like attending this university during the pandemic? Well,
I've kind of transferred into here when the pandemic started coming down. My first year college was completely online. So I decided to go to a college that was, you know, near me. It was weird. Because even though we kind of had the experience from it, starting when I was in high school, since we had a little bit of experience of it already being online, I still think we didn't fully adjusted to our whole society being shifted to this different worlds. I think it said back society a little bit, especially in the communication department. But other than that, it was iOS female. Whoo, yah, hoo. You know, my bed was my classroom. So that was cool. School, he was now what's in my kitchen. So there was that
Corryn McPherson 1:48
What was it like learning during the pandemic at the school?
Mikayla Augustine 1:56
Learning is a complicated thing, because I'm not going to ask like, I didn't take advantage of it. However, I don't think it was actually learning, because there were so many different things that people allowed. And I think, even if people didn't want a minute, there was a lot of cheating going on. So I think it was just us trying to get through it rather than us actually having a learning process.
Corryn McPherson
Okay, and how did COVID affect your mental health and your finances?
Mikayla Augustine
Oh, finances, and once a crop. We, we didn't know what to do. We never been through anything like that my family personally. Um, I think the fact that my parents are from Haiti kind of helped, because they're former poor countries, so they know how to salvage things together and to make things work. But I was kind of grateful of just Oh, no, making it through being alive, being fortunate enough to have a house to stay in being fortunate to have health insurance. In case anything did happen, just having that sense of security mentally. Surprisingly, it helped me a lot because during high school, I went through a lot of stuff, and my mental health was kind of crap. But having that time by myself, I started speaking, weirdly enough, I started to gain confidence, I started embracing my natural hair, the looks I already had, I started getting mental courage about what I believe in. I started becoming more self aware. I went through a crappy friend experience that taught me a lot more things about myself and how I should view the world. So there was that.
Corryn McPherson 2:21
Um, what do you think? Well, what do you think that you be could have done better or something you disagree with how the school handled it?
Mikayla Augustine 2:30
COVID when it came to COVID, it could be mass mandates, vaccination, it could be along those lines, or it could be the teaching the shutting everything down.
It's not even for religious with COVID. But the dynamic period. I won't say just the athletic department, because I honestly don't know if this was just the athletic department. It could be other sections of the scoring. But letting people who boast up the reputation of the school just get away with anything. Because at that point, it wasn't even benefiting anybody. I would understand that the athletes would show up to school with no mask on or just doing whatever the hell they want. With the excuse that they're athletes. and you know they're needed at school and complaining about them or doing anything about them would be a complete and utter waste of time. And it goes so much more further than them just being athletes who are not only risking the health of others but themselves. But there's another topic for another time, I just think they should have did the mask mandate more strictly and I'm not gonna lie took advantage of that myself, but it was a health risk to my own. So, you know, I think they should have been a little more conscious. Yeah. There you go. That's, that's about it, though. Because other than that, there was more of not what the UB itself as an institution can do, but more about what the teachers allowed and what they could do. Because there were some teachers like, Oh, if you're sitting down crazy while you take that upon yourself, but due to law, I'm going to say you shouldn't come to class. And then there were some teachers were like, if you feel like you're sick, you have to stay home, we will accommodate you, you know, you have the option to stay home you have the option to come to class, we have zooming so you can still connect, you know, teachers who put in that extra effort is like going to school is honestly is what makes it worth going to school. During especially during times like
Corryn McPherson 4:10
This- what was one of the positive things you beat it during the pandemic?
Mikayla Augustine 6:21
Once again, it's not like the solution complete do anything with send out messages? It's I don't know what you mean as an intuition is as an institution. I think individual wise, like you, we like people who represent UVM professors. I think one of the amazing things, like I said, is creating multiple mods and waits for kids to connect to school and learn without necessarily having them feel like they're putting themselves in danger putting themselves in the way of danger. Or being able to be second at home but feel up enough to learn they can go to class online, or they can still connect their to their work, or they can make up the work. I think the shirt was amazing.
Corryn McPherson 7:22
So do you view up after all these things you listen to you view up in a negative or positive light?
Mikayla Augustine 7:51
I think you'd be so grateful. Or I'm sorry, that's okay. I think UB is a great school to be honest with you. Coming to UB has made me grow a lot. So I can't really see it in a negative light. I mean, there's nothing really like nothing bad has happened to me. I've met so many nice people. It gave me different experiences to go through. Um, you know, with COVID coming down a little bit and me being able to come out here to live here. It's my first time I've been by myself having to take care of myself paying bills by myself, I got to meet other people who have their different experiences. I get to meet teachers. It's a different type of interactive experience and learning experience. So honestly, I can't really look at it in negative light. I have nothing but positive memories from the school. And all of the negative memories I do have. It's not necessarily in the control of the institution. Generally speaking, it's not really in control of anybody, but some of that was out of control. So I can't really see you being anything but a positive light.
Corryn McPherson 8:51
I like that. It's a wrap for the interview. Thanks for letting me interview; that was a dope one.
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