David Blow

COVID Chronicles: College Students Navigate Pandemic Life David Blow

The COVID-19 pandemic has robbed college students of countless sacred, rite-of-passage experiences long taken for granted, a blow compounded by this country's political upheaval. "COVID Chronicles" started as a blog assignment in a Media Writing class and became a raw, gripping look at the impact of the pandemic on young adults - written in their own words as they navigated the all-online fall 2020 semester. Students shared heartfelt stories of fear, despair, anger - and - on occasion - hope. One struggled to see a way out of his depression. Another was afraid to leave her home and isolated herself from friends and family. One lived through a grandmother's COVID-19 diagnosis. And one, adopted from Korea as a baby, wrote about feeling staring, blaming eyes on her, as if she were somehow responsible for the virus. But there were uplifting posts too, including one student who was thankful for his isolated and safe mountaintop home and another who savored family time that otherwise wouldn't have happened. If you wonder how this pandemic is impacting our college students, "COVID Chronicles" will leave you wondering no more, and wanting to help them.