@walling
A face-mask in front of a modern desk setup
Students embrace a new era of living and learning
JOSE ROMERO
campus editor
COVID-19 has brought unprecedented circumstances that have caused TCC staff and students to adapt to a new way of living.
In Texas, there have been over two million confirmed cases, according to the Texas Health and Human Services. Because of the high rising number of infected individuals, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order mandating precautionary measures to slow the spread of the virus. A primary measure was asking citizens to stay at home.
“I would say that the pandemic has changed me as a mother,” student Cruz Garcia said. “I recently have all three of my kids with me at home. They are taking virtual schooling and I have seen how much closer we have gotten, how much harder I have to work as a mom, wife and student.”
Each individual was given the same question, “How has the pandemic changed you?” The responses varied heavily from person to person. Some shared personal paragraphs about the emotional and physical impact staying at home caused, and others responded saying not much has changed for them.
“I don’t mind the pandemic,” student Jocelyn Johnson said. “[It] hasn’t really changed me. I was still able to work and things like that but it did open my eyes to how entitled people are.”
Change was a common occurrence during the pandemic, but not everybody’s routines shifted drastically. English professor Johansen Quijano said his daily activities have been similar, just doesn’t leave the house as much. Quijano can’t wait to safely be able to visit family and friends once vaccinations start to roll out.
Spanish professor LaCresha Adjodi didn’t change much in her usual day as well, but became more cognizant of the amount of misleading information surrounding the virus. Concerns about the media and its depiction of the pandemic has been a prominent topic. Adjodi said that he trust in mainstream media has dwindled significantly because of false information that gets expressed constantly.
The differences between quarantine experiences can be attributed to situational factors.
Some professors and students are used to online courses which meant there wasn’t much of a difference, but for student Shannon Badger, being a disabled veteran and having a disabled daughter means that the pandemic had quite an impact on her.
“I have become more patient and that is a clear sign of growth for me,” Badger said. “I am used to making things happen right away.” She has had to get creative with the activities done at home, and there are a lot more daily responsibilities since her children are with her throughout the day.
“I also became their teacher, counselor, personal chef for all three meals of the day and it was a toll on me and my body,” Badger said. “At this point, I am learning to take my time with everything.
I have learned to not do everything in one day and just enjoy the time I have with them. Because my life used to be so busy with everything, this pandemic has actually shown me a lot of things that are important to me that I should have been paying attention to.”
