WEBVTT 00:00:01.545 --> 00:00:04.700 So, it looks like we are recording. My name is Mary Rubin and 00:00:04.700 --> 00:00:08.260 today is Thursday, December 3rd and I'm interviewing, Sarah. 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:11.330 Hi, my name is Sarah Stukey. 00:00:11.330 --> 00:00:13.230 I'm 20 years old. I'm a junior here 00:00:13.230 --> 00:00:14.720 at UCF I'm studying nursing. 00:00:15.542 --> 00:00:18.552 Thank you, Sarah. Can you tell me about 00:00:18.552 --> 00:00:20.653 your experience at UCF prior to COVID-19? 00:00:21.610 --> 00:00:24.442 For I think the first two years I 00:00:24.442 --> 00:00:27.152 was really blessed to just be super 00:00:27.152 --> 00:00:30.422 engaged with a lot of UCF’s community. 00:00:30.422 --> 00:00:33.398 I think it was really accepting and it was 00:00:33.398 --> 00:00:36.392 really easy to just find your groove, so 00:00:36.392 --> 00:00:40.464 to speak, so that is one thing that I'm 00:00:40.464 --> 00:00:42.462 fearful of for new students is just 00:00:42.462 --> 00:00:44.270 finding how to get into that groove 00:00:44.270 --> 00:00:45.935 because college is a big adjustment 00:00:45.935 --> 00:00:47.040 for a lot of people. 00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:50.597 And if you don't find that group of friends, it can be difficult to adjust. 00:00:50.597 --> 00:00:53.947 So, I think prior to COVID, it was just- 00:00:54.077 --> 00:00:56.307 the campus is like blooming with 00:00:56.307 --> 00:00:58.317 excitement. There's something for everyone 00:00:58.317 --> 00:01:00.047 here and there's a lot of diversity, 00:01:00.047 --> 00:01:02.037 so that has been like a little bit of a 00:01:02.037 --> 00:01:03.667 setback during all of this. 00:01:03.801 --> 00:01:06.121 Can you tell me more about your groups or groups? 00:01:07.055 --> 00:01:09.372 I'm part of a few groups on campus, as I 00:01:09.372 --> 00:01:12.432 mentioned, I'm a nursing student and I do 00:01:12.432 --> 00:01:14.882 work with a few leadership-style groups. 00:01:15.252 --> 00:01:17.372 I am working with UCF Social Media 00:01:17.742 --> 00:01:20.322 Ambassadors, so I do serve as one of those 00:01:20.322 --> 00:01:22.982 and I work with the marketing team for UCF 00:01:22.982 --> 00:01:25.382 for social media things. And then I also 00:01:25.382 --> 00:01:27.532 serve as the membership coordinator for 00:01:27.532 --> 00:01:29.952 the National Residence Hall Honorary which 00:01:30.002 --> 00:01:32.192 is a leadership group here on campus and 00:01:32.462 --> 00:01:35.212 because I'm in an executive board position 00:01:35.212 --> 00:01:37.612 where I work with a lot of members it has 00:01:37.612 --> 00:01:40.312 given me a perspective into what these new 00:01:40.312 --> 00:01:42.182 students coming into UCF are feeling as 00:01:42.182 --> 00:01:43.762 far as not being able to connect. 00:01:43.762 --> 00:01:46.573 So that's really where my passion for that comes from. 00:01:47.295 --> 00:01:51.345 With those in mind and with your classes 00:01:51.345 --> 00:01:55.655 in mind, can you tell me how COVID-19 changed things for you? 00:01:56.085 --> 00:02:02.110 Sure. So, I think with those people in mind, first and foremost, thinking about 00:02:02.110 --> 00:02:04.905 freshman peers and people coming in. 00:02:04.905 --> 00:02:06.885 I think it can be really difficult to 00:02:06.885 --> 00:02:08.325 adjust, especially when you're 00:02:08.325 --> 00:02:10.325 trying to follow the guidelines correctly. 00:02:10.325 --> 00:02:14.039 So, finding that balance of being a person 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:17.195 being a student, and trying to balance the 00:02:17.195 --> 00:02:19.215 academic and a social life; it seems as 00:02:19.215 --> 00:02:21.181 though it's been very difficult for a lot 00:02:21.181 --> 00:02:23.681 of students. Where there are a lot of 00:02:23.681 --> 00:02:25.838 online programs that have been super 00:02:25.838 --> 00:02:27.761 helpful. I know a lot of clubs have been 00:02:27.761 --> 00:02:29.781 able to adjust pretty well using an online 00:02:29.781 --> 00:02:32.866 platform but it's still worrisome as far 00:02:32.866 --> 00:02:35.827 as balancing that academic and social life 00:02:35.827 --> 00:02:37.826 for those people. And then as far as my 00:02:37.826 --> 00:02:40.726 classes, I have been pretty blessed to be 00:02:40.726 --> 00:02:43.356 probably one of the only groups on campus 00:02:43.356 --> 00:02:45.653 that has had like study in person classes 00:02:45.653 --> 00:02:48.652 sometimes. The nursing cohort is divided 00:02:48.652 --> 00:02:51.120 in half, so we'll have half online and 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:53.400 half in-person each week and then our labs 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.263 have to be in person, because those are 00:02:55.263 --> 00:02:56.790 like skills that just can't be 00:02:56.790 --> 00:02:59.637 demonstrated over Zoom. But yeah, so I 00:02:59.637 --> 00:03:01.757 would say that I recognize that I'm 00:03:01.757 --> 00:03:05.387 privileged to still be able to go and interact with people, even by following 00:03:05.387 --> 00:03:07.024 guidelines because for a lot of 00:03:07.024 --> 00:03:08.864 people, that interaction is key. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:11.846 How was your classes when we initially 00:03:11.846 --> 00:03:14.526 went remote in spring semester? 00:03:14.872 --> 00:03:16.922 In spring semester, I would say it 00:03:16.922 --> 00:03:19.060 was a little bit hard to adjust because I 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:21.520 was doing a lot of those difficult 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:24.130 so to speak ‘weeding out’ classes for 00:03:24.130 --> 00:03:29.540 getting into my major. The prerequisites were a little bit challenging, especially 00:03:29.540 --> 00:03:33.540 for classes that are doing science and math and weren't 00:03:33.540 --> 00:03:37.540 really designed to be in person- online platform 00:03:37.540 --> 00:03:42.070 and I recognize that I do much better when when I have the motivation 00:03:42.070 --> 00:03:45.940 of going to class and sitting there and listening to someone speak. 00:03:45.940 --> 00:03:50.917 That was something that I had to personally adjust to was teaching myself 00:03:50.917 --> 00:03:54.070 and staying motivated mostly. 00:03:54.502 --> 00:03:58.002 Did your living situation change in spring semester? 00:03:58.019 --> 00:04:04.439 Yes, I don't live too far from here and my parents, they live in Florida as well, 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:08.104 so it wasn't really feasible for me to stay in Orlando going into a lockdown. 00:04:08.904 --> 00:04:11.444 As well as no one really knew what to expect. 00:04:11.444 --> 00:04:15.524 It was pretty scary at the beginning there. I think it was a time that a lot of 00:04:15.524 --> 00:04:18.992 people wanted to be home with their parents if they were able to. 00:04:18.992 --> 00:04:24.042 I did get to move home which I was very fortunate to do but unfortunately, 00:04:24.042 --> 00:04:29.232 I live in an off-campus apartment here, but you weren't allowed to like do 00:04:29.232 --> 00:04:32.212 anything with your lease, so that was a little bit difficult. 00:04:32.692 --> 00:04:34.992 So, I assume you were still paying for the lease. 00:04:35.188 --> 00:04:35.898 Right 00:04:35.898 --> 00:04:36.608 Yeah 00:04:36.608 --> 00:04:38.088 That was difficult. Yeah. 00:04:38.148 --> 00:04:45.240 Yeah, sorry to hear that. What was school like at home with your parents? 00:04:45.761 --> 00:04:51.891 That was- That one- it was a little difficult. I love them, but I find that 00:04:51.891 --> 00:04:56.001 kind of person I am, I really want to be present when I'm home in interactions 00:04:56.001 --> 00:05:00.181 with my family. So, it was hard to set that boundary to have schoolwork 00:05:00.181 --> 00:05:05.811 and to have a quiet space to do it. With the hustle and bustle of being home, 00:05:05.811 --> 00:05:11.031 it's just, they have very different lives than me leading a life as a student and 00:05:11.031 --> 00:05:15.651 trying to focus on that. It was a little bit hard. The environment wasn't too 00:05:15.651 --> 00:05:20.251 conducive to studying, so going home during finals last week was a little bit 00:05:20.251 --> 00:05:27.904 challenging. At least I'm back in Orlando now at my apartment here and all my 00:05:27.904 --> 00:05:31.453 roommates. We're all doing online things so it's nice that everyone kind of 00:05:31.453 --> 00:05:34.613 understands what the environment needs to be to get our work done. 00:05:36.173 --> 00:05:40.103 You mentioned that some of the clubs have gone online. Was that the case for spring 00:05:40.103 --> 00:05:40.893 semester? 00:05:42.216 --> 00:05:49.406 Yes, but- kind of- it was like- as much as they could adjust, but in the short period 00:05:49.406 --> 00:05:55.916 of time looking already to the semester finishing it was a little bit harder to 00:05:55.916 --> 00:06:01.386 adjust, I would say. I mean no one expected to go completely online after 00:06:01.386 --> 00:06:05.386 spring break, so all of those events getting canceled was, I would say it was 00:06:07.009 --> 00:06:10.979 a little damaging to the morale overall. Everyone is just trying to find out how to 00:06:10.979 --> 00:06:17.539 adjust to Zoom and I can think back on my experience with Zoom in March and not 00:06:17.539 --> 00:06:21.389 really knowing anything about it and now I feel like I could teach a class on it. 00:06:21.389 --> 00:06:24.361 It really was a big learning curve for a lot of these clubs. 00:06:27.049 --> 00:06:28.919 Do you work or have a job? 00:06:29.247 --> 00:06:34.187 I don't currently. I did over the summer, but the program I am in is pretty rigorous 00:06:34.187 --> 00:06:35.777 so I don't have time right now. 00:06:35.777 --> 00:06:39.897 Makes sense. You mentioned the Social Media Ambassadors. How did that change 00:06:39.897 --> 00:06:41.087 in spring semester? 00:06:42.502 --> 00:06:48.592 I just joined it this fall, but what I'm hearing; they- it’s like, it's very 00:06:48.592 --> 00:06:54.029 different, because it is so collaborative in its nature. And part of the beauty of 00:06:54.029 --> 00:06:57.629 it is really meeting up with these other students who are passionate about 00:06:57.629 --> 00:07:04.119 marketing and social media for the school. It has been difficult to do all of our 00:07:04.119 --> 00:07:09.289 communication online and whatnot. But you would think with a club that’s targeted 00:07:09.289 --> 00:07:12.572 towards social media to be easier. But that human interaction is still 00:07:12.572 --> 00:07:16.526 missing, so a lot of that does become more difficult and just finding ways to still 00:07:16.526 --> 00:07:20.646 feel connected as a group has proved a little challenging. 00:07:22.754 --> 00:07:27.839 Still referring back to spring semester. How did your professors communicate with 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:30.164 you once that change was made to go remote? 00:07:30.728 --> 00:07:37.308 Right. They- I’m assuming that it was hard for them to adjust as well, thinking 00:07:37.308 --> 00:07:41.308 “Okay, I have to put this whole class online, learn how to record all these 00:07:41.308 --> 00:07:45.308 lectures and narrate these PowerPoints.” things like that. I think they did the 00:07:45.308 --> 00:07:50.878 best that they could with the circumstances they were given, but it was, 00:07:50.878 --> 00:07:54.958 I feel like it was pretty minimal for the amount of the adjustment we were going 00:07:54.958 --> 00:08:00.928 through. Mostly emails or all emails through Webcourses or the Knights email 00:08:00.928 --> 00:08:05.032 was how they communicated and then, like I said, some professors got to record 00:08:05.032 --> 00:08:09.478 lectures of them speaking and narrating PowerPoint. So that was definitely helpful 00:08:10.368 --> 00:08:14.838 Did you have the technology in spring to be successful in your classes? 00:08:15.665 --> 00:08:19.665 I personally didn't have my laptop. It actually crashed. So, I had a little 00:08:19.665 --> 00:08:24.965 Chromebook. I actually had to get a new computer this fall, so that Zoom would be 00:08:24.965 --> 00:08:28.965 not getting issues because the Chromebook wasn't strong enough to run the program 00:08:28.965 --> 00:08:33.545 and have the PowerPoint up that they would want us to have up. I did have to make 00:08:33.545 --> 00:08:37.515 some adjustments coming into fall, but in the spring. It was a little bit difficult. 00:08:37.515 --> 00:08:42.378 As well as our Wi-Fi at home crashed, at my parents’ house. Since they were trying 00:08:42.378 --> 00:08:46.605 to set up Wi-Fi for all of the middle schools and elementary schools and 00:08:46.605 --> 00:08:50.473 and everything like that all at once, it did take like a week and a half to get it 00:08:50.473 --> 00:08:54.613 back up. I was sitting in the Starbucks parking lot doing my homework in my car 00:08:56.168 --> 00:09:00.124 because they had removed the outdoor seating. So that was difficult. 00:09:00.923 --> 00:09:07.253 Yeah, I can imagine that. What about other students handling the changes? 00:09:07.253 --> 00:09:11.149 Were you able to interact with students in your classes in spring? I would say the 00:09:11.149 --> 00:09:17.769 I would say the interaction was also- it was minimal. I mean now everyone has 00:09:17.769 --> 00:09:22.189 gotten used to the Zoom-ing and Groupme and FaceTiming each other for 00:09:22.189 --> 00:09:26.839 collaborative nature like in class. But I think back then everyone was kind of like 00:09:26.839 --> 00:09:30.103 “Well, you have fend for yourself.” in the spring semester 00:09:30.103 --> 00:09:34.989 and the contact was kind of minimal then because people were still adjusting to 00:09:34.989 --> 00:09:39.339 online. I think everyone was kind of just so focused on finishing up the year 00:09:39.339 --> 00:09:43.649 thinking that everything would kind of return back to normal soon as possible. 00:09:45.377 --> 00:09:51.017 Did those changes impact your academic endeavors or change your routines? 00:09:51.547 --> 00:09:56.047 I would say they did. I find myself to be a pretty dedicated student. I am really 00:09:56.047 --> 00:10:00.727 good at keeping myself on task, but it was really, really hard to find the motivation 00:10:00.727 --> 00:10:06.181 in spring. Especially when it felt like these were kind of insurmountable things. 00:10:06.181 --> 00:10:10.437 I was teaching myself, whereas it was so much easier for me personally to go and 00:10:10.437 --> 00:10:15.457 sit and be a visual learner and watch someone explain it, and include anecdotes, 00:10:15.457 --> 00:10:19.797 and things like that. So, it did- it was pretty hard for me to adjust. 00:10:23.236 --> 00:10:27.236 How else did COVID-19 affect your life in spring? 00:10:27.994 --> 00:10:33.041 I would say it was mostly the fact that I had to go back home, 00:10:33.041 --> 00:10:38.731 and I was separated from all of my friends I had become close to here and all of the 00:10:38.731 --> 00:10:43.481 social interactions I had here. As well as like those leadership groups I talked 00:10:43.481 --> 00:10:47.451 about, and not even getting the interaction with the peers for classes. 00:10:47.451 --> 00:10:55.386 It was pretty bad because I find myself to be pretty extroverted, so that was 00:10:55.386 --> 00:11:01.806 definitely a culture shock and on top of that, the anxiety of not knowing. There 00:11:01.806 --> 00:11:05.516 were so many unknowns in spring, at least now we have a little bit more clarity 00:11:05.516 --> 00:11:09.566 about what's going on with the virus, some kind of timeline and guidelines on what we 00:11:09.566 --> 00:11:14.083 should be doing. But back then was, everybody’s guess, no one really knew what 00:11:14.083 --> 00:11:20.834 was going on. So it was- everything was anxiety ridden, social media all kinds of 00:11:20.834 --> 00:11:26.556 other things going on in social media at the same time. It was pretty damaging to 00:11:26.556 --> 00:11:28.850 my own mental health. I did have to step back and 00:11:28.850 --> 00:11:30.710 and that was nice to be with my parents 00:11:30.710 --> 00:11:32.375 and be with a good support system. 00:11:32.375 --> 00:11:34.375 I'm very fortunate to be able to do that. 00:11:34.375 --> 00:11:37.675 I know a lot of students probably were even more isolated than myself. 00:11:38.155 --> 00:11:41.435 For other people that are just as extroverted, I really can't imagine. 00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:43.290 It was pretty challenging. 00:11:45.113 --> 00:11:50.073 I know that UCF suddenly said that people couldn't come back to campus. 00:11:50.073 --> 00:11:51.923 Were you prepared to move home? 00:11:52.483 --> 00:11:58.943 I personally was not. I mean I had gone home briefly because we do live on the 00:11:58.943 --> 00:12:00.803 beach. So, for spring break, I figured, 00:12:00.803 --> 00:12:02.953 you know, being at the beach, social distance. 00:12:02.953 --> 00:12:04.863 It was probably the best thing you could 00:12:04.863 --> 00:12:06.588 do. But again, that was early March, 00:12:06.588 --> 00:12:10.223 and no one really knew what we were dealing with, I don't think anyone really 00:12:10.223 --> 00:12:11.573 took it seriously back then. 00:12:11.573 --> 00:12:14.913 Especially not in my little beach town. We had no idea what was coming. 00:12:14.913 --> 00:12:19.303 I, personally, was not ready to move home. I really do enjoy Orlando and its 00:12:19.303 --> 00:12:26.931 diversity and how open minded everyone is and how open everyone is to following 00:12:26.931 --> 00:12:29.701 rules and masked mandates and things like that. 00:12:29.781 --> 00:12:33.831 But then, I moved home and it's not really the same culture there. 00:12:33.906 --> 00:12:38.706 So, it was a little bit challenging when I was trying to follow the guidelines. 00:12:40.501 --> 00:12:44.341 For your nursing classes at that point, were any of them having discussions about 00:12:44.341 --> 00:12:45.811 the current events? 00:12:46.725 --> 00:12:52.795 I was in an epidemiology class so that one did have a little bit of discussion. 00:12:52.845 --> 00:12:59.175 But for the most part no, there wasn't really- it was just- any discussion about 00:12:59.175 --> 00:13:05.893 it was mostly “We understand if you need some grace during this time to get 00:13:05.893 --> 00:13:07.703 assignments in.” and things like that. 00:13:07.703 --> 00:13:11.043 I started the official nursing track in fall, but all of them were like 00:13:11.043 --> 00:13:16.373 prerequisites that are known to be for nursing, so they were pretty understanding 00:13:17.894 --> 00:13:21.864 It was good that they said that you could take the time. Was there any conversations 00:13:21.864 --> 00:13:24.274 about mental health, self-care, that kind of thing? 00:13:24.356 --> 00:13:29.913 I wouldn't say in classes. I think that was more in activities that I'm in like 00:13:30.533 --> 00:13:36.193 the leadership group that I'm a part of NRHH because we're like service. 00:13:36.193 --> 00:13:41.939 Our pillars are service and recognition, so our main goal is to serve the residents 00:13:41.939 --> 00:13:45.939 on campus. Mental health was a big discussion amongst the group like that 00:13:45.939 --> 00:13:48.349 and just friend groups that I had met here. 00:13:49.677 --> 00:13:53.107 That was stressed amongst those, but I wouldn't say in classes at all. 00:13:54.432 --> 00:13:58.492 Interesting. So, you had mentioned that were already planning to go back to your 00:13:58.492 --> 00:14:03.272 house for spring break. Was that the plan before COVID-19 became prevalent? 00:14:03.844 --> 00:14:10.334 No, I love to travel. I think I would have done something different if it hadn't 00:14:10.334 --> 00:14:14.924 started to come up in the news. I was like “Oh, you know what, that doesn't really 00:14:14.924 --> 00:14:19.874 seem like a good idea”. I mean, I was still home for spring break when I got the 00:14:19.874 --> 00:14:24.964 news that we- because we got a two week notice that we weren't coming back and 00:14:24.964 --> 00:14:28.814 then all of a sudden it was just online for the rest of the semester. And that was 00:14:28.814 --> 00:14:30.214 - it was pretty hard. 00:14:30.428 --> 00:14:32.428 Did you have to come back to get anything? 00:14:32.790 --> 00:14:39.060 Yeah, I did and because our lease in Orlando, it went through July, but no one 00:14:39.060 --> 00:14:44.249 was here, it was- it was challenging because then they were trying to do moving 00:14:44.249 --> 00:14:47.990 out type things where it was socially distant and there weren't too many people 00:14:47.990 --> 00:14:52.826 crowding, so I am fortunate enough to not live that far. So, I had to take a few 00:14:52.826 --> 00:14:54.044 trips back to Orlando. 00:14:55.498 --> 00:14:58.888 Did you experience any of the shortages that happened during that time? 00:14:59.605 --> 00:15:03.605 Yes, oddly enough. The toilet paper one I don't really understand that. 00:15:03.605 --> 00:15:09.665 But, yes, that one and then no because my parents were pretty prepared. I think 00:15:09.665 --> 00:15:13.515 if I was here by myself in Orlando, I probably would have been experiencing 00:15:13.515 --> 00:15:21.645 them more and been confused. Then N-95 masks, we didn't purchase those because it 00:15:21.645 --> 00:15:23.865 should be in the hospitals but yeah. 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:28.675 How did the university's action and response affect you? 00:15:29.997 --> 00:15:36.277 I think at first, again, it was a culture shock, but I really have enjoyed the way 00:15:36.287 --> 00:15:38.587 they have- are you meaning this semester? 00:15:39.260 --> 00:15:43.260 I'm referring to spring mostly trying to go through, I guess, chronologically. 00:15:44.910 --> 00:15:50.372 I would say in spring again, a culture shock, but I am really glad that they did 00:15:50.372 --> 00:15:53.362 move virtually. I think that was the best decision at the time, 00:15:53.362 --> 00:15:57.002 given the knowledge we had. And then as it's progressed, I feel like UCF has 00:15:57.002 --> 00:16:03.112 done the best that they can to uphold CDC guidelines and to put different rules in 00:16:03.112 --> 00:16:08.182 place to keep everyone safe. I mean as a student, I'm aware that you can't hold 00:16:08.182 --> 00:16:13.952 every student accountable. Unfortunately, it really has to be a personal decision to 00:16:13.952 --> 00:16:15.572 maintain those guidelines. 00:16:16.182 --> 00:16:20.922 I think as much as they can, they regulated everything really really well 00:16:20.922 --> 00:16:27.192 and I don't know, I think that moving along the same path is probably the best 00:16:27.192 --> 00:16:30.832 bet you have at getting back to some kind of normalcy, as soon as possible. 00:16:31.857 --> 00:16:35.607 You mentioned the other students, how have the actions of other students 00:16:35.607 --> 00:16:36.967 affected you? 00:16:37.632 --> 00:16:43.882 That’s a good one. I think it's been super frustrating because, again, I'm a nursing 00:16:43.882 --> 00:16:49.012 student. I'm in the premedical field, so I do take this public health crisis 00:16:49.012 --> 00:16:56.852 seriously and you know my roommates are pre health and it's- I know that we're 00:16:56.852 --> 00:17:00.912 doing as much as we can, but, unfortunately, the way that the virus 00:17:00.912 --> 00:17:04.339 works, we could literally go to to Publix and be exposed because someone 00:17:04.339 --> 00:17:08.712 else decided to go to the clubs. And I think things were a lot better in Orlando 00:17:08.712 --> 00:17:13.102 during the summer when there was a mandatory mask mandate and everything was 00:17:13.102 --> 00:17:16.842 closed down for the most part, other than like essential businesses. 00:17:17.642 --> 00:17:22.869 I can say seeing as how the bars and restaurants are open now, I can personally 00:17:22.869 --> 00:17:28.181 attest to seeing a lot of social media posts that people not following guidelines 00:17:28.181 --> 00:17:32.481 at all and very cramped together, no mask and things like that. 00:17:32.481 --> 00:17:37.671 So, it is frustrating to see stuff like that and then know that it is affecting my 00:17:37.671 --> 00:17:42.102 scholastic journey and my personal because, again, I'm very extroverted. 00:17:42.102 --> 00:17:45.741 I would love to be going and doing those things, but personally I don't think 00:17:45.741 --> 00:17:50.542 that's the right thing to do. Then academically, we are supposed to be in the 00:17:50.542 --> 00:17:54.492 hospital's soon for clinicals for nursing and we're not sure that that's going to be 00:17:54.492 --> 00:18:00.302 a possibility because of what's going on and the last thing we want to do is create 00:18:00.302 --> 00:18:04.223 any problems for UCF, so we don't want to be people that expose anyone in the 00:18:04.223 --> 00:18:07.273 the hospital to outside viruses or things like that. 00:18:08.364 --> 00:18:12.364 But yeah, it has been challenging to be passionate about the healthcare field and 00:18:12.364 --> 00:18:17.871 see the cases like triple in the hospitals recently and know that it's not any action 00:18:17.871 --> 00:18:23.551 my own, but it's also nothing that I can do to stop the rest of UCF’s population. 00:18:24.389 --> 00:18:32.209 Understood. Thank you for taking it seriously. What were your plans for summer 00:18:32.209 --> 00:18:34.839 prior to COVID becoming prevalent? 00:18:35.898 --> 00:18:40.218 Prior to COVID becoming prevalent, I think my plans for summer were to stay in 00:18:40.218 --> 00:18:45.498 Orlando, because that lease was through July. I wanted to stay here and try to see 00:18:45.498 --> 00:18:50.732 if there was- if not jobs available, at least some kind of volunteer opportunities 00:18:50.732 --> 00:18:56.302 in the hospitals here. That's why I chose to do nursing at UCF because we have so 00:18:56.302 --> 00:19:02.392 many great hospitals right in downtown Orlando. But unfortunately since things 00:19:02.392 --> 00:19:08.282 didn't go that way. I had to adjust my plans a little bit and just be flexible. 00:19:09.208 --> 00:19:11.018 So, what did you do over summer? 00:19:11.351 --> 00:19:17.331 Over summer, I moved back home, and I got a job. We had a small business that I 00:19:17.331 --> 00:19:22.668 worked at, it was a pizza shop. Which was interesting because there I got to 00:19:22.668 --> 00:19:30.411 experience the full force of people really not wanting to adjust to the guidelines 00:19:30.411 --> 00:19:35.542 and our mask policy, things like that. So, I got to see both sides. I got to hear 00:19:35.542 --> 00:19:41.115 their reasonings behind not wanting to and then I got to further my own beliefs as 00:19:41.115 --> 00:19:47.352 someone working in the food industry and and knowing that I wanted to stay safe and 00:19:47.352 --> 00:19:53.172 continue to work because there weren't any jobs in Orlando available, I wanted to 00:19:53.172 --> 00:19:56.852 somehow make some kind of money for this upcoming year. 00:19:57.472 --> 00:20:01.472 Is there an instance at the pizza shop that really resonated with you that you're 00:20:01.472 --> 00:20:02.882 open to sharing? 00:20:03.064 --> 00:20:12.801 Well, I would say that unfortunately, yes there's a few. I can personally attest to 00:20:12.801 --> 00:20:19.251 putting the mask sign on the door, asking our patrons to wear it until they were 00:20:19.251 --> 00:20:23.073 served with their food, which I don't think is too unreasonable. But I can 00:20:23.073 --> 00:20:27.073 remember people walking away from the door, seeing the mask sign, just turning 00:20:27.073 --> 00:20:32.113 around taking their business elsewhere, which is- that's fine if they're so 00:20:32.113 --> 00:20:36.113 opposed. Then I can also remember a few people coming in and saying like “Why do 00:20:36.113 --> 00:20:40.773 I have to wear this? This is so dumb.” and obviously we're not people that put it in 00:20:40.773 --> 00:20:46.048 place, our boss did. The customer is always right in the customer service 00:20:46.048 --> 00:20:52.038 industry, so it was a little bit hard to hold my tongue in some of those situations 00:20:52.038 --> 00:20:58.218 because again I am very passionate about public health, seeing as I'm going into 00:20:58.218 --> 00:20:59.238 the nursing field. 00:21:00.342 --> 00:21:02.652 When did you come back to Orlando? 00:21:02.847 --> 00:21:07.798 I came back to Orlando in August. So, the nursing college had asked us to make sure 00:21:07.798 --> 00:21:12.048 we were back in Florida, which I didn't travel so that was not a big deal. Make 00:21:12.048 --> 00:21:15.898 sure that we were back in Florida if you you were from out of state and make sure 00:21:15.898 --> 00:21:22.798 that we were filling out the COVID self- checker and monitoring our own symptoms 00:21:22.798 --> 00:21:27.318 for the first, if we could two weeks, 10 days, that kind of thing before classes 00:21:27.318 --> 00:21:32.208 started. I made sure I was back in Orlando and adjusted before classes started. 00:21:32.899 --> 00:21:36.509 You mentioned that your classes this semester and fall semester have been in 00:21:36.509 --> 00:21:40.979 person. What kind of messages did you receive around that? 00:21:44.589 --> 00:21:46.869 You mean for my professors as far as how to- 00:21:46.869 --> 00:21:48.669 Professors or the program. 00:21:51.212 --> 00:21:54.972 We- our professors really have stress this semester making sure to fill out the 00:21:54.972 --> 00:21:59.542 COVID self-tracker, which I think is pretty helpful in maintaining some kind 00:21:59.542 --> 00:22:05.712 of, I don't know, keeping students accountable and making sure that they're 00:22:05.712 --> 00:22:10.322 being mindful every day that they're going on campus. I would say we got a lot of 00:22:10.322 --> 00:22:17.122 emails about how to maintain safety while in classes. As far as mask mandates, as 00:22:17.122 --> 00:22:22.242 far as, if you pick this desk the beginning semester- the beginning class, 00:22:22.242 --> 00:22:25.957 that’s the desk you’re going to go to every time, and we will be sanitizing but 00:22:25.957 --> 00:22:29.597 still that's how it's going to work. I think that was really helpful. Then in 00:22:29.597 --> 00:22:34.997 labs, our professors would do the same thing. They would make sure to be 00:22:34.997 --> 00:22:39.007 reiterating the safety policies, things like that. . Then we also, if we were in 00:22:39.007 --> 00:22:43.612 close contact in addition to our masks, we would have face shields. That was pretty 00:22:43.612 --> 00:22:48.327 helpful in making sure that we still get some hands-on experience. 00:22:50.089 --> 00:22:52.869 Were you affected by any other students in those classes? 00:22:53.156 --> 00:22:59.086 No, I would say 99.9% of the students in those classes also recognize the 00:22:59.086 --> 00:23:03.836 importance of holding each other accountable and being safe. Again, I feel 00:23:03.836 --> 00:23:07.406 very blessed to be in a program where public health is at the forefront of 00:23:07.406 --> 00:23:13.486 everyone's mind. Personally, no, I was not affected by anyone in those classes. 00:23:14.043 --> 00:23:17.993 You mentioned that half of the cohort is online. So, can you explain that a little 00:23:17.993 --> 00:23:18.943 bit further? 00:23:19.173 --> 00:23:24.603 Right. So we have about 130 people in our cohort, so that would be divided in half 00:23:24.603 --> 00:23:29.443 and there was a Black and a Gold team for UCF colors, obviously, very festive. 00:23:30.327 --> 00:23:35.576 But yeah, there would be an instance where one week, the black cohort would get to go 00:23:35.576 --> 00:23:43.096 in-person classes on Monday and then on Tuesday is their in-person lab day. Then 00:23:43.096 --> 00:23:47.176 on Wednesday everyone was on Zoom. Then the next week, the gold team would get to 00:23:47.176 --> 00:23:52.525 go in person on Mondays and there would be their lab day on Tuesday and then everyone 00:23:52.525 --> 00:23:58.115 was on Zoom on Wednesday. Of course, with with the different groups, if you did not 00:23:58.115 --> 00:24:02.176 feel comfortable going to class, there was a Zoom option still because the other half 00:24:02.176 --> 00:24:08.041 of the class would be tuning in via Zoom. Say you're in the Gold cohort and you're 00:24:08.041 --> 00:24:11.764 feeling a little bit sick, you don't know what it is because there are so many 00:24:11.764 --> 00:24:16.101 things going around the flu, strep, everything like that; then they did make 00:24:16.101 --> 00:24:22.751 it very easy to stay home. Granted, you wrote an email with some kind of valid 00:24:22.751 --> 00:24:27.231 statement to the professor, very easy to stay home on your Tuesday live class they 00:24:27.231 --> 00:24:31.091 made Zoom available to that as well. I think that was pretty helpful. 00:24:32.375 --> 00:24:37.225 Besides the fact that they are in person. Are there any other major differences 00:24:37.225 --> 00:24:40.275 between spring remote and this semester? 00:24:42.015 --> 00:24:46.655 I would say everyone has learned how to adjust a lot better. As far as using 00:24:46.655 --> 00:24:50.115 online platforms, I feel like my professors have really gotten a hold of 00:24:50.115 --> 00:24:58.499 that as well. I think there is a lot more grace being extended this semester, than 00:24:58.499 --> 00:25:04.209 there was in spring. I think that probably stems from frustration of just everyone's 00:25:04.209 --> 00:25:11.919 turn- everyone's plans just being turned around. I think this semester, the 00:25:11.919 --> 00:25:17.684 professors and the staff are kind of getting the hang of how to communicate 00:25:17.684 --> 00:25:22.083 with students, how to make sure students are maintaining professionalism as much as 00:25:22.083 --> 00:25:27.564 they can over Zoom, and how to make themselves accessible as much as possible 00:25:27.564 --> 00:25:31.814 if students are running into an issue or or they aren't feeling well, things like 00:25:31.814 --> 00:25:32.834 that. 00:25:33.363 --> 00:25:39.133 You mentioned extending grace. Are there any conversations around mental health? 00:25:39.444 --> 00:25:48.944 Right. I think that there are a lot more this semester as far as- I would say in my 00:25:48.944 --> 00:25:52.994 program specifically, I feel very blessed that a lot of our teachers are also 00:25:52.994 --> 00:25:57.164 passionate about public health. They realize that we are people first, and we 00:25:57.164 --> 00:26:03.045 are trying to do the best that we can in a pretty anxiety-inducing situation. There 00:26:03.045 --> 00:26:08.374 have been a few, and then we also suffered from one of our professors passed away 00:26:08.374 --> 00:26:14.222 recently. So there have been a lot of conversations regarding making sure that 00:26:14.222 --> 00:26:18.284 you check on your friends that also were affected by the loss and making sure that 00:26:18.284 --> 00:26:24.524 you know that there are people to talk to in the program. Also CAPS and available 00:26:24.524 --> 00:26:29.999 resources on campus, things like that, if you are taking it a little more hard in 00:26:29.999 --> 00:26:33.284 addition to everything else going on. I would say that there have more 00:26:33.284 --> 00:26:35.534 conversations about mental health this semester. 00:26:35.534 --> 00:26:40.524 I'm sorry to hear about that. Just for clarification purposes, would you mind 00:26:40.524 --> 00:26:42.324 mentioning more about CAPS? 00:26:42.736 --> 00:26:48.926 Sure. CAPS is the counseling services that are offered here at UCF, and they are free 00:26:48.926 --> 00:26:55.536 to students, and they have a few different available resources this semester. I know 00:26:55.536 --> 00:26:59.156 that they do have a few online programs that you can go through. If it's more 00:26:59.156 --> 00:27:03.519 anxiety-based things, there are a few workshops, you can go through on your own 00:27:03.519 --> 00:27:07.116 time, but you can also schedule appointments. I'm assuming those are like 00:27:07.116 --> 00:27:11.746 Telehealth this semester. I haven't dealt much with them this semester specifically. 00:27:13.716 --> 00:27:17.525 They make themselves pretty accessible. And again, any kind of free resource like 00:27:17.525 --> 00:27:19.766 that, I feel like it's very helpful to students. 00:27:19.866 --> 00:27:23.196 Can you tell me more about your involvement with the organizations this 00:27:23.196 --> 00:27:24.296 semester? 00:27:24.407 --> 00:27:27.197 Sure. Like the organizations that I am a part of? 00:27:27.669 --> 00:27:31.539 Yeah, the residence and social media and I believe there was another club that I'm 00:27:31.539 --> 00:27:32.439 missing. 00:27:34.048 --> 00:27:39.188 I think I just mentioned Nursing as a whole, but for the Social Media 00:27:39.188 --> 00:27:47.538 Ambassadors, we mostly are communicating via group chats, things like that. We had 00:27:47.538 --> 00:27:52.292 a few big Zoom calls where we discuss goals for the semester, things like that, 00:27:52.292 --> 00:27:56.698 but mostly that's been a great opportunity to network with other students who are 00:27:56.698 --> 00:28:01.948 passionate about marketing and about UCF. That's been really, really nice. 00:28:01.948 --> 00:28:06.095 And again, a lot of people in that group are very passionate about public health, 00:28:06.095 --> 00:28:14.818 so we have got to make a few not infomercials- but different like 00:28:14.818 --> 00:28:18.828 commercials for UCF, kind of, about how to properly wear masks, things like that. 00:28:18.828 --> 00:28:23.268 How to enforce the guidelines that are put in place by the school, things like that. 00:28:23.268 --> 00:28:30.798 That has been- it's been really fun, I think. Again, it's nice to just stay in 00:28:30.798 --> 00:28:36.394 the loop; we always kind of know what's going on with UCF and their policies so it 00:28:36.394 --> 00:28:43.604 does feel pretty good to know what's going on as far as guidelines. Then for the 00:28:43.604 --> 00:28:50.224 National Residence Hall Honorary that is, again, designed towards recognizing people 00:28:50.224 --> 00:28:55.344 that may not get the recognition we think they deserve on campus. Service and 00:28:55.344 --> 00:28:59.754 recognition are our two pillars; that has been strange this semester because we 00:28:59.754 --> 00:29:05.314 don't really have a budget because of the circumstances. Our service projects that 00:29:05.314 --> 00:29:10.014 we would be doing in person like past semesters, we have had to find ways to 00:29:10.014 --> 00:29:16.274 do those things online. Whether it's writing letters to people that are in the 00:29:16.274 --> 00:29:20.510 hospitals or things like that. We have had to get really creative with how we do 00:29:20.510 --> 00:29:26.460 service projects and how we do recognize people on campus because in past semesters 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:31.380 we would have in person events. It was a nice way to interact with the student 00:29:31.390 --> 00:29:35.340 community, but now it has been a little bit difficult. 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:39.280 I mentioned I was the membership coordinator, so recruitment for that club 00:29:39.280 --> 00:29:43.520 has been a little bit difficult this semester as well because there aren't 00:29:43.520 --> 00:29:49.070 really tabling events like there used to be. Things like that. Just making sure 00:29:49.070 --> 00:29:53.310 that we get our name out there and we make sure that students know that we are an 00:29:53.310 --> 00:29:59.110 available resource if they want to get into leadership or they feel called to 00:29:59.110 --> 00:30:02.690 serve other people. That has been a little challenging. 00:30:03.709 --> 00:30:06.159 You mentioned that you have no budget this semester. 00:30:06.159 --> 00:30:08.069 Did you previously have a budget? 00:30:08.069 --> 00:30:13.485 Yes, we previously had a budget. I think that- a lot of our budget came from the 00:30:13.485 --> 00:30:18.295 housing and obviously right now housing has a few other things on their hands. 00:30:18.384 --> 00:30:24.004 This was back like when they were trying to figure out how to keep all of the 00:30:24.004 --> 00:30:28.684 residents safe with moving in process and what to do about reimbursing money 00:30:28.684 --> 00:30:36.014 from housing in the spring, things like that. We have just taken it and rolled 00:30:36.014 --> 00:30:41.264 with it. We've done our best to improvise and we have had an actual really 00:30:41.994 --> 00:30:46.284 successful semester. I think a lot of that comes from- there are a lot of negatives 00:30:46.284 --> 00:30:50.074 that are associated with using online platforms but also a lot of positives. 00:30:50.074 --> 00:30:55.297 I think that one of those is new students- I feel like it's very easy to get social 00:30:55.297 --> 00:30:58.504 anxiety about going to these clubs thinking “Oh, I don't have enough 00:30:58.504 --> 00:31:02.839 experience.” or “I won't know anyone.” things like that. So, having a Zoom 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:06.474 available is so much easier to tune in from a comfortable environment, things 00:31:06.474 --> 00:31:10.974 like that. There are parts of online platforms and, I hope do not go away once 00:31:10.974 --> 00:31:16.439 we do return to a little bit of normalcy. I think having Zoom or online platforms 00:31:16.439 --> 00:31:19.114 like that has become very inclusive to people. 00:31:21.204 --> 00:31:26.405 That's really great insight into Zoom. Do you have any feelings about the upcoming 00:31:26.405 --> 00:31:27.655 spring semester? 00:31:28.561 --> 00:31:35.037 I am excited to see what UCF does. I am hoping that- I know that the goal of 00:31:35.037 --> 00:31:40.621 having more in person classes was mentioned a few times. We are also 00:31:40.621 --> 00:31:44.811 supposed to go to the hospitals for clinical, so I am staying hopeful that 00:31:44.811 --> 00:31:51.361 still is able to happen. I'm hoping that a lot of people recognize that it is really 00:31:51.361 --> 00:31:55.811 important to take time after being home home for the holidays to make sure that 00:31:55.811 --> 00:32:00.381 they are okay before returning to classes. That's why I'm glad we're starting a 00:32:00.381 --> 00:32:04.011 little bit later. I think we start the 11th instead of the sixth or something 00:32:04.011 --> 00:32:10.921 like that. I'm hoping that a little bit of time after New Year's is good for people 00:32:10.921 --> 00:32:14.361 making sure they're okay to return back to classes, things like that. 00:32:14.915 --> 00:32:18.355 Do you have any thoughts on spring break being moved? 00:32:18.954 --> 00:32:25.494 I am not opposed to the idea, actually, because I do recognize that again while I 00:32:25.494 --> 00:32:29.394 may be conscious about my actions during spring break a lot of people wouldn't be. 00:32:30.434 --> 00:32:36.854 While it is nice to have that break around March before finals, I think it will be 00:32:37.444 --> 00:32:43.070 much- it's in everyone's best interest to to move it. I actually was relieved that 00:32:43.070 --> 00:32:44.490 was done. 00:32:45.795 --> 00:32:49.735 Are there any in person events that you particularly miss that did not occur this 00:32:49.735 --> 00:32:50.575 year? 00:32:51.266 --> 00:32:55.956 I really, I am a people person. I really did like all the Homecoming events. 00:32:56.716 --> 00:33:00.536 I think they did a really good job moving them to online platforms, but of course 00:33:00.536 --> 00:33:06.386 I’m pretty spirited, so the Spirit Splash, things like that and the big concerts and 00:33:06.386 --> 00:33:10.236 comedy nights, things like that. Again, they did have comedy night online, I 00:33:10.236 --> 00:33:13.906 believe, and they did have a concert recently on memory mall that was socially 00:33:13.906 --> 00:33:19.016 distant, which was really cool, but it's it's not quite the same. Obviously, we're 00:33:19.016 --> 00:33:23.236 working with what we can now, but I do miss those in person events. And then 00:33:23.236 --> 00:33:28.616 again, like I mentioned with the clubs, there would be those big events in the 00:33:28.616 --> 00:33:32.246 Student Union where there were so many club table setups and just to see the 00:33:32.246 --> 00:33:35.836 excitement and everyone buzzing around looking at different clubs was really 00:33:35.836 --> 00:33:39.966 exciting to me personally. I think I do miss tabling events because I love talking 00:33:39.966 --> 00:33:41.266 to people. 00:33:43.263 --> 00:33:48.523 What seems normal to you prior to COVID that now seems very strange? 00:33:49.664 --> 00:33:55.524 I would say, being in enclosed spaces with people. It seems so strange to me now 00:33:55.524 --> 00:33:59.434 it's- my roommates and I talked about this all the time. It's crazy how much the 00:33:59.434 --> 00:34:03.104 pandemic affects you and you don't even realize until you're looking at the TV 00:34:03.104 --> 00:34:06.864 screen and you're watching the scenes with all these people and you're like “Why 00:34:06.864 --> 00:34:10.334 aren’t they wearing masks?'. Oh, my goodness, this was filmed in the early 00:34:10.334 --> 00:34:17.464 2000s.”. I think that the idea of just being around so many people is something 00:34:17.464 --> 00:34:24.666 that if it is safe again soon, we'll have to be gracious that not everyone can just 00:34:24.666 --> 00:34:28.154 snap back to being in huge social settings. Again, like I said, I think a 00:34:28.154 --> 00:34:33.024 lot of people have been able to actually grow from this and step out of their 00:34:33.024 --> 00:34:38.784 comfort zone. So, to reduce the amount of social anxiety, I think it is really 00:34:38.784 --> 00:34:42.934 important to consider. A lot of students may be afraid of going back to in person 00:34:42.934 --> 00:34:48.894 events, if there are a large number of people. Even class I hope that the 00:34:48.894 --> 00:34:53.844 professors can understand that some some students really may have some anxiety 00:34:53.844 --> 00:34:56.734 about going back to in-person class too. 00:34:58.124 --> 00:35:03.564 Similarly, what seems normal now that will probably seem strange a year from now? 00:35:04.246 --> 00:35:10.176 I think the amount that I wash my hands. I hope that seems strange a year from now. 00:35:10.176 --> 00:35:13.816 I mean, I'm glad that everyone started practicing hygiene. 00:35:14.398 --> 00:35:20.528 I think, also, just I, personally, think that we should advocate for wearing a mask 00:35:20.528 --> 00:35:24.370 anytime you're feeling sick from here on out. I think that there's really no harm 00:35:24.370 --> 00:35:27.998 in that. If you're feeling like you may expose people to other things and you 00:35:27.998 --> 00:35:31.618 still have to go get your errands done, I think that's the right thing to do. 00:35:31.618 --> 00:35:39.098 I think seeing everyone wearing masks all the time will be strange if everyone 00:35:39.098 --> 00:35:42.551 returned back to normal. There’s some people really, you know, you can't 00:35:42.551 --> 00:35:46.385 adjust, and I understand that. I think that, again, you have to be really 00:35:46.385 --> 00:35:51.558 gracious. I think a lot of things will seem very weird, there are so many things 00:35:51.558 --> 00:35:55.332 you could say now to someone that we would have no idea what someone was talking 00:35:55.332 --> 00:35:59.988 about months ago. In March, if someone had said something about the mask mandates and 00:35:59.988 --> 00:36:03.988 all this stuff about Zoom, I would have been confused. 00:36:07.164 --> 00:36:11.934 You mentioned TV. Was that a coping strategy or is that normal? 00:36:12.245 --> 00:36:17.995 Yeah, probably. I do like to- again, I don't find myself to be too anxiety ridden 00:36:17.995 --> 00:36:24.185 over this because I know I'm doing my part. I do find a lot of comfort in making 00:36:24.185 --> 00:36:31.295 sure that because I'm so accessible now via Zoom, I do have to make sure that I do 00:36:31.295 --> 00:36:35.245 shut off all my devices and I give myself time to just be a person and not a student 00:36:35.245 --> 00:36:39.255 Because I think that is something that has been a little bit damaging; is everyone is 00:36:39.255 --> 00:36:43.165 so accessible, the professor and student. You expect people to be at their computer 00:36:43.165 --> 00:36:48.675 for 24 hours and that can be pretty damaging. So, I do make sure that I have 00:36:48.675 --> 00:36:53.975 time to set aside to be doing safe things that again, return some kind of normalcy. 00:36:53.975 --> 00:36:59.195 Whether that's sitting down for some cable TV or just making sure I'm sitting there 00:36:59.195 --> 00:37:02.475 and playing a board game or doing something to kind of step out of the 00:37:02.475 --> 00:37:05.645 scholastic realm of my person. 00:37:06.587 --> 00:37:12.597 Are there any [coughs] excuse me, TV shows or board games that are gonna forever be 00:37:12.597 --> 00:37:16.307 in your brain as the COVID-19 television show or board game? 00:37:16.348 --> 00:37:22.127 Yes, I would say that Outer Banks. That came out in March and everyone seemed to 00:37:22.127 --> 00:37:25.648 watch that all at the same time over quarantine. So that one, I will always 00:37:25.648 --> 00:37:31.488 associate. Then I started Gilmore Girls, because that's such an early 2000s comfort 00:37:31.488 --> 00:37:37.998 show. It just makes you feel all warm and very pure, so that one as well. I think 00:37:37.998 --> 00:37:41.988 those are both kind of anxiety relief. 00:37:43.525 --> 00:37:49.635 Nice. One thing that I heard about often was sleeping being affected. How was your 00:37:49.635 --> 00:37:52.035 sleep affected at all during any of this? 00:37:52.035 --> 00:37:56.125 I think that at the beginning and spring semester, it was really hard to maintain a 00:37:56.125 --> 00:38:01.655 sleep schedule because again, everyone was on social media and on their phones 24/7 00:38:01.655 --> 00:38:07.325 because what else was there to do? Really my sleep schedule is kind of non-existent, 00:38:07.325 --> 00:38:17.202 especially with the classes. None of my classes in spring semester had specific 00:38:17.202 --> 00:38:20.772 Zoom times because the professors are really trying to adjust. It was always 00:38:20.772 --> 00:38:24.722 recorded lectures or narrated PowerPoint, things like that, you could go at your own 00:38:24.722 --> 00:38:29.992 pace. Asynchronous type style. For me, it was just making sure that I did get some 00:38:29.992 --> 00:38:33.842 sleep so I could get up and work the next day because the only thing that I needed 00:38:33.842 --> 00:38:38.152 to do at a specific time were exams. My sleep schedule was all kinds of jumbled 00:38:38.152 --> 00:38:43.222 during the spring semester. Now, it is better since my classes are synchronous 00:38:43.222 --> 00:38:48.232 with Zoom. We're expected to be on the zoom at specific times, but it was 00:38:48.232 --> 00:38:52.092 pretty bad for a while, over there in quarantine and whatnot. 00:38:53.434 --> 00:38:58.084 What would you say is the most significant impact that COVID19 has had on your life? 00:39:00.282 --> 00:39:03.532 On my personal life or scholastic? 00:39:03.553 --> 00:39:04.863 Any. Both. 00:39:05.172 --> 00:39:14.435 I think it’s- I would say as a student and as a person, it has forced me to be very 00:39:14.435 --> 00:39:21.502 intentional with my time. I really put a lot of time into the people and the things 00:39:21.502 --> 00:39:25.212 that I care about but other than that it it has made me realize that life is so 00:39:25.212 --> 00:39:29.692 short. You really never know. Your plans could get derailed in a second. I think 00:39:29.692 --> 00:39:33.742 that it has made me pretty cognizant of the fact that you really don't have 00:39:33.742 --> 00:39:39.452 control over all the things that you thought you did. It's made me want to just 00:39:39.452 --> 00:39:43.342 take control of the things that I do have control of and make sure I'm doing those 00:39:43.342 --> 00:39:46.505 to the best of my ability. I think, whether it's in friendships and 00:39:46.505 --> 00:39:51.545 relationships, like that, with my family or in school. It's just made me very aware 00:39:51.545 --> 00:39:54.275 of how fast time flies. 00:39:55.058 --> 00:40:00.098 Speaking of time. Are there any particular months that went by, very slowly or went 00:40:00.098 --> 00:40:02.761 by very quickly in the last year for you? 00:40:02.980 --> 00:40:11.610 I would say that March, April, and even May, probably. I feel like they went by, 00:40:11.610 --> 00:40:16.950 very slowly. I still feel like I'm stuck in March mentally. When I think about the 00:40:16.950 --> 00:40:22.290 new year being at the end of this month, that is ridiculous to me. I think- I 00:40:22.290 --> 00:40:27.897 mentally still feel like I am in March, but then as soon as I started class this 00:40:27.897 --> 00:40:34.894 fall, all of the last four or three and a half months have flown by. I mean, August 00:40:34.894 --> 00:40:39.064 feels like it was yesterday, so that is very weird. I think that's kind of like 00:40:39.064 --> 00:40:42.584 the everyday minutia of just getting up and sitting at my desk and doing my 00:40:42.584 --> 00:40:47.304 work and then going to sleep. There hasn't been much variety in my everyday life, so 00:40:47.304 --> 00:40:50.694 it's just really flown by. 00:40:51.873 --> 00:40:54.803 Is there anything else that you would like people to know? 00:40:57.832 --> 00:41:04.119 I would just say that going forward, I hope that staff and students alike are 00:41:04.119 --> 00:41:08.379 able to extend some more grace to people and remember that even though the pandemic 00:41:08.379 --> 00:41:12.179 is- some people feel like it's winding down; other people's feel like it's just 00:41:12.179 --> 00:41:15.839 getting started, it’s going to get worse again. I hope that everyone can be a 00:41:15.839 --> 00:41:19.729 little bit gracious with each other because it is still going on. It is still 00:41:19.729 --> 00:41:23.389 affecting people. Again, this virus has taught me you never really know what's 00:41:23.389 --> 00:41:26.959 going on in other people's lives. You never know what preexisting conditions 00:41:26.959 --> 00:41:31.871 are there. I just hope that can continue to happen with UCF, and with people 00:41:31.871 --> 00:41:33.079 in general. 00:41:33.860 --> 00:41:37.330 Thank you so much for your time today. 00:41:37.330 --> 00:41:39.000 Thank you for having me. 00:41:39.000 --> 00:41:41.440 I’m going to stop this recording.