True Colors in Dark Times

I've always heard that hard times can reveal one's true character. This pandemic proved just that.

I've mentioned before just how wonderful my community was with supporting me during my senior year. They showered us in gifts, came out to watch a big parade we were in, and made sure an in-person graduation happened. The support and love that I received from complete strangers in my town was shocking and amazing. 

My community was not the only group that stepped up when things got hard. Most of my teachers also demonstrated outstanding support. My AP Literature teacher immediately gave us his personal cellphone and made sure to let us know that we are able to talk to him about anything at any time. Despite having to work tirelessly to move lessons to online, my teachers still checked up on us to make sure we were okay and they graded assignments with empathy. Since we were under the presumption that the virus would only last a few weeks, we never expected our senior year to end with online classes. When the news broke in April that our governor was canceling school for the rest of the year, I was in the middle of Spanish class. My teacher stopped the lesson and let us all cry together. It was a powerful moment in my life that I will never forget. Teachers like that made the quarantine so much easier to handle and I appreciate all they did for us when they themselves had no idea what would happen either.

However, not every teacher showed who they truly are for the better. There was one teacher who completely gave up on us when the pandemic hit. We had an AP test just months away and he assigned us to read from the textbook and nothing else. He never checked on our mental health, helped us study for the exam, or even produce lectures so we could continue learning from him. Everything we learned for the AP exam was from the textbook which was very difficult during such a trying time.

Some people gave it their all and rallied as many people as possible to make the best for as many people as possible while others isolated themselves, cutting off contact. As a whole, I am so proud of everyone's efforts during the pandemic. Even on a national scale, the dedication of essential workers did not go unnoticed. Sometimes it takes adversity to learn who is truly there for you and who is not. Dark times reveal true colors.

Discrimination & Economic Collapse

I wasn't born yet when 9/11 happened, but from what I heard, it brought Americans together like they never have before while simultaneously seeking a greater separation from Muslims. I've heard horror stories of Muslims who had to quit their jobs, stop wearing turbans and hijabs, and take a break from flying to avoid comments and looks from people who associated the entire religion of Islam with the terrorist attack.

The Covid-19 outbreak was no different. 

Because the virus emerged in China, Americans began fearing Chinese-Americans. They stopped ordering from Chinese restaurants, causing many restaurants to have to shut down. Moreover, many rude comments were made to Asians, some that were not even of Chinese descent. Asian-Americans were told that the virus was their fault and they were told to leave before they spread the virus in stores. These unwarranted and inappropriate comments were extremely hurtful and caused the Asian food economy to suffer a major collapse. There are still Chinese restaurants to this day that have not reopened, due in part to a major loss of business because of the stigma surrounding their race.

Chinese and Asian restaurants have also had to spend more money than other restaurants to implement safety precautions like plexiglass to give people more confidence in their restaurant. My local Chinese take-out place created an entire wall of plexiglass of separation between the employees and me. The employees placed my order into a box and after they closed their door to it, I could open my door so we never risked hand-to-hand contact. This contraption was a bit extreme in my opinion but it was necessary for them to implement because of the discrimination they would experience otherwise.

I feel very sorry for every Asian who experienced hate because of their race. It deeply saddens me to see Chinese restaurants and businesses permanently closed, especially since money was already tight enough for everyone during the pandemic.

We as Americans can do better for groups who have a negative association with them. Not all Muslims took part in 9/11 and not all Asians contracted Covid. Discrimination and racism cannot have a place in 21st century America. We can do better. We must do better.

Impacts on Mental Health

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the quarantine was a great way to spend more time with family and cook more. Unfortunately, not everybody had the great experience of being stuck at home that I did. Domestic violence has risen dramatically, and suicides have increased as well. We have also seen an increase in opioid overdoses too. This is all due to one common thing: an increase in isolation and more time at home. The image of a family playing board games and baking zucchini bread together is the one that we want to imagine, but there is also the image of those suffering from mental illness, living alone, and unable to see anybody. There are domestic abuse victims trapped with their abusers.

I have no idea how horrible it had to have been for those suffering. I could never compare myself to them and I will never say that what I felt during quarantine is at all equivalent to the pain they went through. What I will say, is that I felt some strain with being quarantined as well. I think most people agree that it was difficult to completely reshape their lives around. I feel horrible for those who lost their battles during this already hard time. I wish they could’ve got the help they so greatly deserved.

I have always considered myself an extreme introvert. I tend to be a homebody and not interact with people much. I didn’t realize that being stuck at home for months would be upsetting for me…but it was.

The thing I missed the most was my schedule. I had just finally gotten into the rhythm of a new semester and going to classes. Track season had started one week before the lockdown and I was excited to finally get in shape. I was kept on task from when I woke up at 6:30am to when I went to bed at 10:30pm. Yes, I was a stressed-out high school senior, but I loved my schedule and having the right balance of exercise, education, and time for friends automatically built-in. When I was told that all the senior events that I waited four years for were canceled, I was devastated. I was disappointed that my senior track season was taken away from me and I was sad that I wasn’t allowed to see my boyfriend anymore. I soon lost contact with friends and I felt extremely alone. Faced at home with nothing but boredom and time to think to myself was dangerous. I became very sad and doing even small homework assignments felt overwhelming. I was frustrated at myself for gaining weight and every time I went for a run at the park, it felt increasingly more difficult to keep running.

I was feeling what my brother called “the COVID-19 blues.” I simply wanted to go back to school. I wanted to say goodbye. I wanted closure. It was hard as a senior to have things end the way they shouldn’t have. I was angry at the world.

It was a very depressing time and I know that I wasn’t the only one who felt it. My spirits finally lifted when outdoor, socially-distanced senior events were planned and I could finally have graduation and attend graduation parties. Social connection is necessary. The impact of suddenly taking that away is scientifically proven as being detrimental to the brain. I know that this post is not lighthearted and uplifting, but it tells the dark side and truth to the often overlooked part of quarantine. Yes, I enjoyed spending time with family and making soups, but I also suffered.

Mental health resources:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
• SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline: 1-877-726-4727

Testing: What's it's Like and the Tests Available

Last week, President Donald Trump had a positive coronavirus test. It was a huge shock to the nation and caused a lot of panic by the American people. There was talk about what would happen if he were to get too sick to continue working and news channels reviewed the line of succession. He appears to be fine and on a smooth path to recovery now, but I still think it’s important to examine the protocols in place to keep us healthy and keep positive cases to a minimum.

One thing that is particularly frustrating to me is the use of rapid tests and self-tests. My sister goes to the University of Alabama and she were asked to give the nasal swab to herself. Of course, she barely stuck it up her nose and certainly did not collect all of the material necessary. Now, UA is a campus with one of the highest cases. Rapid testing also bothers me. While it is great for weeding out those who test positive under a time crunch, the tests are found to be extremely inaccurate. Taking a PCR test that takes roughly 48 hours to get results mixed with getting the test done by a trained professional is the only way to keep Americans safe.

I have gotten tested two times (the proper way) and I am getting my third test done in two days. The first test was an initial one required for all students coming to campus. For more information, you can see my post about Being a College Student The second test was a random selection by the University of Kentucky. Since I got selected, I had three days to complete this mandatory test. I expect to be asked to get retested at least once more randomly by the end of the semester. The final test that I am getting in two days is a test that I am taking by choice. I want to go home and see my family so I am doing what is responsible and getting tested two days before I leave to make sure that I am safe to see them. Of course, there is the risk that I contracted it during those two days but I figured that going 48 hours without a test is better than two weeks and there’s not much I can do about it.

So, what is getting tested really like? I was told horror stories that it feels like getting your brain poked at. In reality, it was not that bad. It was certainly uncomfortable having a long Q-Tip up my nose so far, but I would compare it to the feeling of getting water up your nose and just having a lot of pressure built up. My eyes have watered each time I got tested, but other than that, all was well. It also goes by extremely quickly having it placed up my nostrils for 5 seconds each. Below is a video describing the tests that can be done and how they are performed:

*Note: This video contains some information that does not pertain to the U.S. While generally, the tests are the same, there are some slight modifications for what my experience was like.

Getting tested is just one of the many ways we’ve tried to get this virus under control and do our part to keep others safe. While it is not the most comfortable test, it is nothing to be afraid of, and is crucial that it gets done. I’m extremely thankful that I can get tested whenever I want for free and that I’m spending my time during the pandemic at a place that cares about my health.

Maintaining Relationships and the Strain of the Pandemic

One of the issues with this pandemic being so politicized is that there has created an entire spectrum of emotions regarding opinions on mask-wearing, social distancing, and reopening the country. On one side (the one that President Trump supports), we have anti-maskers who rely almost entirely on social distancing, although they rarely do that, and believe that this pandemic will all go away soon. They really emphasize the importance of the fallen economy and getting back to work. On the other side, despite the economy hitting an extremely low point, those people still want businesses to stay closed, have travel restricted, and take all the precautions until this is gone for sure.

I honestly don’t think that any side is particularly wrong in their thinking. I certainly believe that keeping people safe is a priority but I also know that it’s hard to wear a mask all the time and that restoring the economy is a priority as well. There is a delicate balance between the two that is a thin line to walk. Coming from a rural farm town in New York, we are a very red area that always elects a Republican for our congressional district.

My parents have kept a very lax opinion on the whole pandemic. We were always compliant and wore masks everywhere we went, socially distanced, washed our hands, and disinfected our house regularly, but when it came to hanging out with a small group of friends, there was never a fear of getting sick from them.

But like I said, every family had a different way of doing things. My boyfriend’s stepmom that he lives with has health issues and immediately refused to let company over and I was no longer allowed to hang out with him. This caused a lot of friction in our relationship. He was still working as an essential worker at a grocery store with all his friends. I was angry that he was able to interact with multiple strangers every day and hang out with friends before and after work, but I was not allowed to see him. It especially frustrated me that my job was taking much greater precautions to keep us safe while he was more exposed yet could continue to work by her standards. It was difficult going months without seeing him and feeling like I was in a long-distance relationship when his house was a 20-minute drive away. Eventually, as things started to look better I was allowed to go to parks with him and hang out in public. By the time I left for college in August, five months after the pandemic started in March, I had gone to his house one time while she was visiting her dying brother in another state and he could come over to help me pack. Things got worse when I came to campus; I found out after about a month of being here that his older brother invites girls over to the house all the time and his stepmom doesn’t care. It’s hard to not take that personally even though we’ve always gotten along great.

Again, relationships were tested with this pandemic.

It wasn’t even just his stepmom; I also struggled to make friends. The dynamic is completely different on campus than back home – people really follow the rules here and lean towards the latter approach of using caution. I was scared to try and make friends even though it was my first semester of college and I knew no one. I worried about reaching out to people and overstepping their boundaries and I started to worry about my own health and the impacts of possibly contracting the virus here. Not only did I feel that coronavirus caused strain between my boyfriend’s stepmom and me, but also between all possible friends that I could’ve made, and even with my roommate when there was an exposure scare (I thought her sister contracted the virus but it was actually the babysitter that did and she ended up testing negative). The true character of those I know has come out during the pandemic and I’ve learned where people really stand. I’ve gained a great deal of disrespect for those who continue to hang out with large groups of friends maskless or host parties, while I’ve fostered a greater appreciation for those who genuinely stayed home and quarantined for months.

I’m sure everyone has their own stories about conflicting opinions on visitors and who they were allowed to see vs. who they weren’t allowed to. Despite any relationships that may have gone astray because of the pandemic, it’s important to remember who really means something to you and not take it personally like I did when they were trying to protect themselves. We all have our own boundaries. Now is the time to respect them and those around us. It is our job to keep each other safe.

Impacts on Education and Learning

Education during Covid can basically be summed up by this meme:

Students have been left to fend for themselves and teach themselves the material. Most of our learning is assignment-based with various things due at 11:59pm. Initially, teachers were completely unprepared to fully teach in an online setting so they scattered to make up lesson plans, give us work online, and teach amidst uncertainty about their own family’s health. I give teachers a lot of credit for the extensive work they had to do in order to do the best they could for us in the spring semester of 2020. With that being said, I did find that the quality of education was poor. There wasn’t a lot of work given to us and we felt as if we didn’t truly learn anything.

 

However, that all changed come fall. With teachers better prepared to teach their courses online, we immediately jumped in as if the class was the same as in person. That was a major flaw with our education I believe – you cannot expect students to focus on work when they’re doing it in their bedroom and surrounded my devices and loud family members. Moreover, learning is much more difficult when not placed in a setting that the brain associated with learning. The act of being in a classroom, and going to a separate one for each class, is important for the brain. We simply cannot learn the same way that we do online as we do in a classroom.

 

Furthermore, it can also be difficult to focus on learning when we are preoccupied with worry. Students have had to learn despite a family contracting the virus, or even themselves. How are we supposed to focus on our studies when we are worried about a global deadly pandemic surrounding us? Most professors have not adjusted for this and it shows with our GPA. We have in-person expectations with a virtual setting and many students are not able to keep their grades up. I know for me, learning calculus online has been a nightmare and while I feel like I haven’t learned much, I am still given extremely difficult exams. If there could be a program implemented where students could opt online classes out of their GPA or somehow get a hardship clause added, I would greatly appreciate that. I think all our grades need to be taken with a grain of salt right now and not every class should count towards our GPA. I would even suggest allowing students to retake classes for free in-person and replace the old grade with the new one if they improve. I don’t know what the solution is to be fair with grading but what I do know is that students should not be punished for putting an honest effort forward but still failing when they are trying to learn at this time. 

It also isn't fair that some students may have had parents who lost their jobs so they have to work to keep their family afloat. Working long shifts and managing schoolwork is unfair. Coming from a family with financial stability as well as good health is a major advantage right now. Students who need to work or care for family members who may have fallen ill are preoccupied with more pressing concerns. There is no equality when it comes to education right now. Every student's experience is unique to them and cannot be used as a comparison to a student who may be more or less advantaged right now.

 

Additionally, with European and Asian nations implementing in-person classes, I feel as if I am at a disadvantage. They are getting a better education than me and it makes me worry about the future. Will they outcompete me in the job market? If I don’t feel like I’m leaning anything, will I actually be prepared to enter the workforce after college? These questions haunt me. I think that we will see a major educational and economic impact when students who received a virtual education are asked to apply their skills in-person even though they had not had the opportunity to practice that. As a chemistry major, I am supposed to be actively learning how to perform certain lab techniques, yet half of my labs are online where I just watch someone perform it. I am not truly learning what is being done and I will not be able to replicate in the future if asked. There are some jobs that simply need their graduates to have had an in-person education.

 

One thing is for sure: being a student during a pandemic is not fun. Hopefully, we will still get the education we need to be successful and the impacts are not as treacherous as they could be. We all are worthy of a good education and we should not have to sacrifice that on top of everything else we have to give up. My hope is that universities and employers show mercy to us because, after all, we’re all just trying to get our assignments in by 11:59pm.

UK Core Issue: How Do We Distribute Covid Vaccines?

With the possibility of a vaccine coming soon, plans for distributing it need to be implemented too. Vaccine manufacturers can only make so many vaccines each day and not all of the country will immediately have access to it. If I were tasked with choosing who in Fayette County, Kentucky could get the vaccine first, I would carefully consider my selection. 

First, I would want the people most exposed to the virus and at risk for it to go. I believe that healthcare workers, especially those who work in the Covid ward or conduct the tests, should be tested first. These essential workers do not have the option to stay home and quarantine and instead have to face the virus head on each day, sometimes even touching the patients or being coughed/sneezed on by them. Also, I think it’s important to the Lexington community to have an adequate number of healthcare workers that can support the sick; it’s certainly never good to have a tight hospital staff because many of the employees contracted Covid. 

Next, I would address those most at risk: the elderly. Since this area contains a large number of elderly folks, it’s important that they stay protected. Their immune systems are much weaker than young people’s and they are far more likely to die from contracting Covid. Old people have gone through enough having to quarantine, no longer see other senior citizen friends, be in nursing homes alone, and live in fear. I know that if a vaccine came out back home in New York, I would want my grandparents to be one of the first ones to get it so their quality of life can improve vastly. 

Following, those with preexisting conditions such as asthma and obesity, which are high risks, should get the vaccine next. After all, the essential and high-risk groups get the vaccine, I think it is important to shift to what accounts for where many of the Lexington cases are coming from – the University of Kentucky. As of October 9, 2020, nearly 15% of coronavirus cases in Fayette county were from UK. Athletes who play on sports teams next to each other every day should get it first, then those who live in communal spaces, and finally the rest of the campus. Students can be extremely dangerous asymptomatic carriers who tend to have a more carefree attitude towards mask-wearing and social distancing. I think that even though they are young and less likely to suffer serious consequences of contracting the virus, they are still doing horrible damage by hanging around in crowded areas, still partying, and going home to families like mine in different states. If students are no longer susceptible to the virus, Fayette county can take a sigh of relief and not worry about what irresponsible students might bring into their local grocery store. 

The last of those to get the vaccine should be babies, then low-risk adults and children. Babies tend to have a weaker immune system so they should go first but low-risk adults and children should have strong immune systems that could generally handle the virus and don’t need the vaccine immediately. 

Of course, this is all my opinion and I do not actually know a lot of the data that Fayette county may base their vaccine distribution on, but this is my take what I have gathered. Until then, I hope that we continue to wash our hands, wear our masks, and socially distance. It truly is a scary time to be alive and living without a vaccine for a pandemic that has killed millions is devastating.

Pandemic Pop Culture in America and Foreign Countries

 United States

As a member of Gen Z, dealing with a global pandemic is the most intense thing that has ever happened to us. Many of us were born after 9/11 and we never had any major wars that impacted our lives on a noticeable basis. Many of us didn’t know how to deal with it and turned to our excessive use of social media to make the most out of the situation with humor. Memes and TikToks immediately took the world by hand and kept us in good spirits. Below are a few examples:

This meme alludes to the possible start of the virus - bats in china - and 

how its eventual impacts on the U.S.

This user had a hilarious take on the increasing workload of young Americans 

and the possible financial problems their generation might run into.

Violinists playing the song that the Titanic did while it 

sunk in a grocery store aisle without toilet paper.

One thing that really stuck out to me though was music. Several artists made songs about what we were going through and how we were feeling. Music has always been a huge coping mechanism for people during times of distress, so I really appreciated the quick work of musicians to make music that we could relate to so quickly. This song is “Level of Concern” by 21 Pilots:

Overall, I think that America did a really great job of keeping us connected with social media. There were endless creative ideas to showcase our support and make the most out of a bad time. We rallied together to find positivity and humor from the darkness.

Globally

Another shame was the cancelation of many beloved events across the world. Disney Parks were shut down globally, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo was postponed, and Edinburgh, Scotland had its annual festival canceled for the first time since it started after World War II. It was a great tragedy to see so many events canceled that gave the world so much joy. People began to cope with those disappointments the same way that many of us did in the U.S.: with social media. Soon, dalgona coffee, known more commonly here as whipped coffee, sprung up in South Korea as a trend and captured the world’s attention. It is a mixture of milk and frothy, heaving mixed coffee. Below is a tutorial of how to make it:

As spread apart as the world may be, we all unified as one during this time of need. We all shared giggles on TikTok regardless of what language the videos are in and shed a tear when our favorite events got canceled. As much as we may feel disconnected from those across the globe, we were all on social media as one to cope with the stress of living through a global pandemic.

Food Accessibility, Health, and Employment

 

Time and time again, this pandemic has shown the true meaning of sacrifice. Luckily, my family did not have to make major adjustments because of the pandemic, but I know many families who did. Roughly 10 months before the pandemic, my dad found a new job. He is a regional vice president of a storage facility company so most of his job is managing business, but it is also required of him to travel across the country to meet with store managers, check on properties, and occasionally scope out areas where new facilities can be built. Roughly ¾ of the job was working from home while ¼ was traveling. When Covid first hit, my family was ecstatic that my dad would now be working from home 100% of the time and not have to travel every other week. He still had plenty of work to keep himself busy and it was not a huge adjustment from what he had already been doing.

 Furthermore, not long before the pandemic, my mom took up a job as a medical receptionist at a doctor’s office. She and I continued to work as healthcare workers at the frontline, leaving home every day as we normally would. For her, she saw fewer patients and therefore had less work because doctor’s offices started utilizing Telehealth appointments as much as possible. For me, I saw a surge in prescriptions (many people taking advantage of an old hydroxychloroquine prescription that they still had a refill on and wanted to have on hand in the event that it could help cure the virus). I had more work than ever, but I also brought in more money than ever. So, at least for my family, unemployment was not an issue and we did not have to worry about being able to afford food or even some extra luxury items.

 Still, we did see a major change in diet. Immediately, extra time at home for the family meant extra eating. My little sister who absolutely loves cooking and baking enjoyed making meals for the family several days a week. Food was, in a way, comforting during this time of uncertainty. A hearty meal was something that we looked forward to and kept us hopeful. It was often boring lounging around home and not being able to leave. Sometimes to cure the boredom we would cook or bake just because it gave us something to do. We saw a shift to more foods with carbohydrates and I gained five pounds. Social media soon coined the term “quarantine 15” – a play on the phrase “freshman 15” to fit these times.

 However, as lucky as we were to live through the pandemic without ever worrying about where our next meal would come from, we weren’t always able to access everything that we wanted to at the grocery store. The first things to go were toilet paper (why???), hand soap, cleaning supplies, and paper towels. There was an every-man-for-himself mentality at the grocery store where people would often argue as to why they needed a roll of toilet paper more than the other person. Grocery stores put limits on how much we could buy a certain item each day. As the pandemic raged on, we soon saw flour and bread run out next. The baking aisle was always wiped out every time we went. Everything came back in stock fairly quickly and there were only a few times we had to change our choice of bread or bake something that didn’t require certain ingredients.

 As new cases starting declining and things were starting to look better, we began eating healthier, seeing stores have items in stock, and we were finally able to enjoy a meal at a restaurant. It was relieving to finally see life go back to somewhat normal. But now, as the weather is starting to cool and positive cases are going up, grocery stores are struggling to keep items in stock and food accessibility is once again beginning to dwindle.

 Only time will tell how the virus ends up impacting me and my health. Until then, enjoy your stock of toilet paper at the grocery store; you never know when you’ll have to fight someone for the last roll.

Misinformation & Politics

As with anything these days, politics has created its own pandemic parallel to the one that is currently going on. From day one, Republicans and Democrats argued over whether or not a shutdown should happen, if masks should be worn, if social distancing is effective, and whether or not it is safe to reopen back up. With a collapsing economy, the Republican Party urged businesses to reopen while the Democrat Party favored staying closed to keep the public safe. Both political parties had valid arguments: the American economy is extremely important across the world and people die from U.S. recessions but the wellbeing of our people matters too. Trying to manage this delicate balance between economy and public welfare led to a great deal of debate during a time when we needed to come together as one and it created misinformation being given to the public. Biased news sources shared the statistics that they wanted their viewers to hear. For example, FOX News, a news source with a right-sided political bias, often shared facts regarding how many small businesses had to close and how only a handful of children have died from COVID-19 thus far. Meanwhile, CNN, a news course with a left-sided political bias, showed statistics that regarded the exponential growth of positive cases and potential deaths if we didn't stay shut down. Both FOX News and CNN may have shown accurate statistics, but they only showed one side which can sometimes be just as dangerous as showing incorrect facts. 

Even the government wasn't presenting accurate information. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, held nearly daily press briefings with President Donald Trump sharing information and giving out guidelines for the public to follow. Early on, he advised against the use of masks. Later on, he later revealed that masks are necessary to help slow the spread of the virus and only steered Americans away from it initially so that medical staff would have enough access to them. While it may have been the best call, it still made Americans wary of what the government was advising them to do and some even still believe that masks will not help. Aside from a few little hiccups like these, government agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were the best source of reliable information. They provided accurate and detailed statistics that were able to reflect all of America. Local governments also did a fantastic job of reporting positive cases and keeping their own data. Below are several screenshots I've taken of Western New York COVID cases throughout the past few months:

April 3, three weeks after shutting down:

May 5, almost two months after the shutdown:

June 5, three months after the shutdown:

July 6, four months after the shutdown:

September 14, six months after shutdown:

 

Being a College Student

After missing out on the best parts of senior year, many of us current college freshmen looked forward to our college experiences. But with the pandemic still going on, we again are finding ourselves missing out on some of the best years of our lives. First, I want to start with my experience of picking a college in general. In high school, I had a busy junior and senior year where I worked two jobs, took rigorous courses, and even made school history by being the first to compete in two varsity sports during one season. I always seemed to have something going on so I never made the time to narrow down my college choices from my list of twelve. In March, just two weeks before the shutdown, I had finally narrowed down my long list into several schools. I realized that I had not done a single campus tour so I asked my parents to tour the University of Kentucky over spring break. They agreed and I looked forward to getting a better feel for which campus felt right to me. Of course, those plans got canceled and I didn't end up going on any college tour my senior year. I sat at home taking virtual tours of campus and exploring websites to learn which university was the best fit. 

Eventually, I decided that UK was the school I wanted to go to despite never even entering the state of Kentucky. This experience of choosing a school without touring was common across the country. There was a sharp decrease in out-of-state students across the country as many decided that it was best to stay close to home during this time. Some students who would have normally attended colleges chose to take a gap year because they didn't want to go to school if it was only online or they needed to work to support family members who may have lost their jobs. The class of 2020 has had a fair share of sacrifice. 

Then, despite being allowed on campus, our classes are almost entirely online. We aren't getting the same quality of education that we would've gotten in-person. It's difficult to stay focused on schoolwork when I'm taking classes in my bedroom. I often end up taking spontaneous naps or struggle to focus altogether. Sometimes, I want to take a mental break and hang out with people but it's nearly impossible to make friends. Not everybody wants to meet new people who may have a life-threatening virus and all the events that usually allow people to meet others were online only so we never got the opportunity of face-to-face interaction. I can't tell if someone is smiling at me in the hallway because a mask covers their facial expressions. Every time I hang out with someone, we have to go somewhere in public because visitors aren't allowed in our rooms. The entire college experience is gone. Human connection is absent. The campus is usually pretty dead and deserted. I sometimes wonder why I'm even still here. 

I also wonder if I'm safe here and if we'll actually stay on campus until Thanksgiving as promised. All in-person classes, which are few and far between, slowly seem to be gaining more online aspects and will likely end up being entirely online by the end of the semester. Students who are known to have been exposed to someone COVID-19 positive are still attending in-person classes, making the spread even worse. My assumption is that the University is aware of this and will eventually make all classes online, especially if there is a small outbreak in a class. However, one thing I will say is that students are being respectful of university guidelines. Almost everybody always wears a mask, uses hand sanitizer, and keep their distance. Of course, we are not perfect at it but we are trying our best. I genuinely think our students are making the best effort possible. Students are still sneaking students from other buildings into their dorms and the fraternities are still having parties, but overall, we're all doing our part. I understand why students just want to have fun after all the things we were hopeful for were canceled in the spring. I don't know if we will get sent home but with a campus this depressing, I wouldn't mind going home early. 

As mentioned earlier, the University of Kentucky has put forth guidelines to keep students safe. The "Daily 4.0" includes regular handwashing, wearing a mask, social distancing, and completing a daily screening survey. Below are pictures of the following:

 The daily email we receive to do our daily screening:

  

The daily screening questionnaire:

                                                       

Every student had to get tested within two weeks of move-in. Here is a video showing how the process went:

Being a High School Senior

The second half of senior year is the part of high school that everyone can't wait for. Class ranks have already been finalized, the application process to college is done, and as long as you keep a decent GPA you have no worries. It was Friday, March 13th, 2020, and I was excited that the weather would soon be warming up in chilly Buffalo. Our first senior skip day was coming up, prom tickets were going on sale the following week, and the senior trip was approaching in just a month. My high school career was finally about to peak and all my hard work was going to pay off, but what I didn't know was that this typical senior experience would not happen for me. What I didn't know was that I would never step foot in my high school ever again after that day. At first, I was told that we would be out of school for a month and resume classes on April 20th. So, the next day, I went prom dress shopping and spent $350 on a beautiful gown. Our classes transitioned to online and I actually enjoyed my break from school. 

Then in mid-April, the governor announced that we would need more time away from school to quarantine before going back. Teachers assured us that we would have a postponed prom and maybe even the senior trip to Cedar Point as planned. We all kept hope as we lounged around home all day, as mandated. It wasn't until May when the governor announced that school would be canceled for the rest of the year when it hit me that my senior experience was officially forgotten. We never got a senior prom, nor a senior trip, nor a senior skip day. Our class officers worked hard to do a senior parade in each of our cars around the campus but it wasn't the same as marching through the hallways on the last day of school. Even graduation was uncertain. There were so many things we were hopeful for. When we would normally be having fun and enjoying our youth, many of us were working the frontlines of a pandemic and had to grow up fast. The sacrifices my class had to make was nothing like those just several years before us. After lots of work, stress, and compromise, we finally were able to hold our graduation in-person on the turf. It wasn't ideal and there ended up having to be two ceremonies since there was a 150 person limit, but it still happened. Each student was allowed to have two guests and it was live-streamed so other family members could watch at home. Senior year was not the best and it's a shame that we had to give up what we did but I am proud of everything that the class of 2020 went through together and I think we really did make the best out of a bad situation. 

Below are pictures from my high school graduation. Photos were taken by Rick Penny. The entire collection can be found at https://rickpennyimages.smugmug.com/2020-Alden-High-School-Graduation-1/2020-Alden-High-School-Graduation-6-26/

Students sitting in their assigned seats 6 feet apart.

Fans in the stands placed 6 feet apart. Two family members/graduate.

School administrators and graduates walking onto the turf.

Picture of myself. We were all given Class of 2020 masks to wear.

A sign at the entrance of the stadium reminding attendees to follow protocol. 

Working as a Healthcare Worker

At 18 years old, I can't say I've done a lot of things but one thing I have done was work at the frontlines of healthcare amidst a pandemic. I work as a pharmacy technician at my local pharmacy, tasked with filling and labeling prescriptions as well as assisting customers and fulfilling and other duties that the pharmacist on duty asks of me. I still remember the day that my boss asked if I was comfortable working and if I would like to wear a mask and gloves. 

I laughed. Today, that's the norm. 

After the virus was closing in closer and closer to Western New York and we knew that it would soon hit my hometown, it soon became required of us to wear masks to work. Then came fear. Every day that I worked, I walked in terrified. My entire family was young and healthy with no conditions of concern, but I wasn't worried about myself. I was worried about the sick, elderly patients that walked into the pharmacy doors every day. The idea of people having the virus and be asymptomatic was just coming out at this point and I feared that I would unknowingly contract the virus and pass it on to those who would not survive. It was difficult walking into work every day knowing that I might have to live with unthinkable guilt for the rest of my life. I took as many precautions as possible washing my hands frequently and trying not to come into direct contact with customers. 

Regardless, it was still my hands touching their pills and the one to check them out at the cash register. I also saw the fear in their eyes. Normally bubbly, friendly people stopped talking to me and looked at me like I was the Grim Reaper. Most vividly, I remember an old woman coming in trembling in fear and rushed out of there as soon as possible. We soon implemented a curbside pickup service so customers no longer had to leave their cars in the parking lot to come in. 

Still, fear remained and I questioned whether I truly should continue working or not. I knew that older generations were relying on mine to continue to provide services and that the pharmacy needed me since staffing was tight, so I did what was needed of me and I continued to work. Luckily, the virus stopped spreading as rapidly and restrictions started loosening giving our patients and staff a better peace of mind. By the time I left for school in August, customers started talking more, showed less reluctance to stand near me, and glistened with hope for better days. 

I'm proud to have continued working during a pandemic and even happier to see people be themselves again. I also think about those who have worked even more head-on with the virus such as doctors and nurses in hospitals who are responsible for treating positive patients. Many of them did not have access to proper personal protective equipment and had to expose themselves to the virus at work every day in order to help others. I have the utmost respect for those who risked their own health, even leading to their own death, to improve others'. 

Below is an attached article giving the names of healthcare workers who died during the pandemic, courageously serving their communities. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/927976

Meet the Blogger: Sam Hillman

My name is Sam Hillman and I am currently an 18-year-old freshman studying Chemistry at the University of Kentucky. This blog is a part of a class I'm taking, GEO 261: Global Dynamics of Health & Disease. I come from a small town in rural, upstate New York in the greater Buffalo area. The area I'm from is predominantly white and middle class. My town, which consists of a population of roughly 10,000 residents, has seen 82 total SARS-CoV2 cases to date which is considered to be relatively good. While I am not extremely close to anyone who has tested positive for the virus, I do know people who have contracted it. One person I know who had it had a fever and mild symptoms for several days and his girlfriend never showed any symptoms or signs of catching it from him, regardless of driving him to the hospital. It is believed that he got it when the pandemic first started from the airport, but he couldn't trace an exact moment where contact seemed close. With my mom being a medical office receptionist and me being a pharmacy technician, we were working at the frontlines amidst the worst of the virus and know what some of the struggles were of being an essential worker during this trying time. Keep reading to find out more about me and my COVID-19 story. 

                                                                Picture of the blogger Sam Hillman