The Goal

The COVID-19 pandemic shaped my life in more ways than one, and it continues to do so today. What had started as a week off of school in eighth grade quickly turned into what felt like a never ending house arrest. In fact, I remember it as if it happened yesterday. March 13th, 2020 was a day that changed me forever, but unfortunately, I just didn't know it yet.

 

During this time, most of us were adapting to what would soon turn into our new "normal". Physical school buildings shutting down overnight, friendships going fully digital, and having to stay inside were just the start of our realization that this was bigger than we thought it was. What was supposed to be a few days off turned into two weeks, then three, all the way up until our middle school graduation was a forgotten thing of the past. 

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While some may have thought that staying home and having the opportunity to lay in bed all day was a dream come true, it was my worst nightmare. Growing up, I was one of the most bubbly children you'd ever meet. I loved making new friends, my education was my prized possession, and I always found something to keep my mind stimulated. This was true up until I started high school behind a screen with nothing but Zoom meetings full of people I've never met before. I experienced emotions so strong that I thought I could be making it up or I was just being dramatic, but reflecting back on it now, I realized my mental battles were far bigger than what I made them out to be at the time. Thankfully, as time passed and our lives slowly returned to what they used to be, it grew easier to forget about the weight I once carried. However, I eventually learned that I was not alone in what I experienced, and when looking at the bigger picture, COVID-19 affected more than just our physical health. 

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This website is my attempt at revisiting and reflecting on this period of time with an open mind, and I invite you to do the same. I brought together resources with different origins that together will explore different sides of the pandemic that we collectively experienced, whether it's public health, illness, grief, break throughs, or resilience. While exploring various other projects that focused on COVID and the pandemic, I was able to grow my understanding of not just the science and history of it, but also the human side of it. The real, raw emotions we felt as a whole, and how it affected us as a society back then and today. 

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By organizing these materials and weaving in my own thoughts, I hope I can provide a fair mixture of the complexity and emotional realities of living through a global pandemic. It's not just about looking back, it's about taking the time to recognize how something so historical is still shaping who we are and how we think about physical and mental health, connection, and community moving forward.