# data[].attributes.body
here is my covid experience in a very poorly written way

Well i am putting a photo of my guitar cause well it shwed how i really had enough time to really do anything but chose not to until the very end. Covid really seemed to drive me crazy but guitar helped me stay stable and just exist without talking to myself instead just playing in peace whenever. The pandemic was terrible and for some may be a blessing to me a curse as I hate being alone and with online learning I never had that constant in person remi=nder to do my work altho tying is better as my handwriting and spelling is really bad. The future will look bad at this to follow the rules so this doesn't happen again. And i'm afraid of needles so the covid vaccine is scary

but at least i have friends now that i can talk to whenever i'm down especially my close friends

# data[].attributes.body
We had a face mask, boy have we had many struggles with them. I liked my polar bear mask which I got as a Christmas gift but wore it during the summer time because seasons don. The benefits they protect us and others from getting or spreading Covid-19. They stop your droplets, as they say from reaching others. Many people started to make cloth masks from tee shirts, etc. and others wore the medical grade masks. There were people refused to wear these masks for a variety of reasons, one being " it MaKeS mE iNhAlE Co2" which is not true KaReN, but any way there is a whole lot of craziness going on. I distracted myself by playing Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I also drew and streamed shows. After about year of Covid they came out with a shot that i was so eager to get when my age group could receive it. I could not wait to go back to school and get away from my parent who are ALWAYS on my back and not giving me a chance to breath which is really getting me down. But one thing I will miss about in person learning is DEFINITELY the chat, and all the precious evidence that went down with it.

Thank You For Coming To My Ted Talk 👏👏👏👏

# data[].attributes.headline
Nico’s 𝘤𝘖𝘷𝘪𝘋 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦

# data[].attributes.subject
Nico’s 𝘤𝘖𝘷𝘪𝘋 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦

# data[].attributes.body
(sorry this is kinda long ahah)

This is my COVID story. In March of last year I was in the eighth grade. I remember seeing something about COVID on my feed as early as December, but of course it easily left my mind and I thought nothing of it. No one I knew was talking about it and we were living our usual lives. I vividly remember during the last days of school, seeing posters being taped to the hallways saying stuff like “don’t forget to wash your hands” or “cover your mouth when you sneeze”. Naturally, I rolled my eyes due to the fact that it is common knowledge and should always be practiced, and kept walking to my classroom, not thinking of how drastically my life was going to be changed in the next week. I remember when the school called my guardian for the first time, saying how there would be a two week break from school. “Wow that’s awesome” I thought with the excitement and random freedom I thought I had the privilege of having. Soon before those two weeks were coming to an end, the school had then announced that we wouldn’t be coming back until early May. This felt surreal because although I did enjoy the so-called “break” , eighth grade was a good year for me and I started to miss my friends. I also remember the day when we had to sign into our google classrooms for the first time and I had felt indifferent because I thought that this was temporary and the workload was lighter. As May was around the corner, the last call from the school consisted of them saying that we were not going back at all and that all in person activities were canceled. I was in the musical that school was doing and I felt as though this was the worst time that something like this could happen. But then again, there would never be a “right time” for something as devastating as this to occur. The isolation from everyone and everything started taking a toll on my family, and so once every week we would walk trails and enjoy being in nature due to the fact that it was the only living thing we could be around at the time. During this period in my life I had gotten very sad from the events surrounding me and had started binge watching “the office” (which to this day I believe has been one of the most fulfilling things I have done). I had also gotten really close with one of my friends and we FaceTimed very frequently. To shift the subject a bit, I also wanted to mention how insane the real world was. The line to supermarkets and places such as Target were crazy. The lines had led up to the parking lot and you had to wait for at least forty minutes just to get in. Not to mention, the shelves inside the store were cleared out and there were barely any necessary items such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. I remember feeling like this was when the world I knew went into shambles and I would never have the “high school experience” that I was promised, by the media and my own family. To this day I feel as though I was robbed of memories I should have made with my friends and distant relatives. What I want future generations to know about the pandemic is this: us as humans are made to adapt to different situations and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Also, that we, as the generation who experienced this first hand, now have bragging rights. When your grandparents say that “oHhhH yOu gUYs sHOuL’nT bE cOmPLaiNinG, I HAd tO gO tO sChOoL dUriNg tHe gREaT dEpReSsiOn aND stiLL hAd bEtTeR gRAdEs tHan yOu diD”, just know that we can say that we had to go to school during a global pandemic. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

Nico Vela

# data[].attributes.body
my covid 19 have been bad.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid - 19 has impacted me in many different ways but mostly mentally being stuck at home and not being able to see new faces and my friends. I got really depressed and my anxiety was through the roof. Also physically because of the pandemic the gyms were shut down and I had to stop what I most love to dance because my studio was shut down. Remote schooling was very hard because I got distracted very easily and also it was hard to take in all the information all at one time because sometimes the lessons were going too fast and it's hard to speak when it's over a computer. It gets hard trying to send. The vaccine has done nothing because i haven't gotten it due to allergies and also there is no point because even with or without the vaccine you can still get covid. Future generations should know that covid was such a sad year and everyone was dying and it was something very serious that the streets of new york were never the same after.

# data[].attributes.headline
 Remote has been actually hard.Its hard because sometimes i could not focus at home i get distracted very easy and for me to do my work was hard in 8th grade i was actually very sad because we could not graduate in school and i was always excited for high school but then the pandemic came and one thing that was always on my mind would i still get to experience high school like how others did? Would high school be different? Would i get to know new friends with being 6 feet apart from each other?. Remote was a hard and good experience because i dont have to take transportation most of the time i can just close my eyes and take a nap, also it was bad because sometimes i would sleep through my classes and the next day we would have a quiz and i would be lost, when am in school i could pay attention more.

# data[].attributes.subject
 Remote has been actually hard.Its hard because sometimes i could not focus at home i get distracted very easy and for me to do my work was hard in 8th grade i was actually very sad because we could not graduate in school and i was always excited for high school but then the pandemic came and one thing that was always on my mind would i still get to experience high school like how others did? Would high school be different? Would i get to know new friends with being 6 feet apart from each other?. Remote was a hard and good experience because i dont have to take transportation most of the time i can just close my eyes and take a nap, also it was bad because sometimes i would sleep through my classes and the next day we would have a quiz and i would be lost, when am in school i could pay attention more.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid 19 has changed my perception of the world in a lot of ways. Before the pandemic really hit I didn’t have much political, social, or self awareness. I didn’t think much about anything but reading books and dancing. I didn’t see my faults and didn’t pay enough attention to the faults of the world around me. Of course having about three months locked inside with barely anything to do gives you a lot of time to reflect. I had always seen myself as not needing social interaction before quarantine hit, like I was above it or something, but being alone so much made me realize how necessary it is to my mental health. I didn’t really have anyone to talk to besides my family and it was quite maddening. Looking back at memories I had before quarantine I realised I’d acted and felt like I was above my peers when that really wasn’t the case. Speaking of thinking you’re above something, covid also showed me just how entitled people could be. Despite this being a terrible world wide pandemic some people felt that lockdowns, social distancing, and mask mandates were unnecessary. For some reason people thought Covid 19 was a farce made up by the government, scientists, and everyone else on the planet to control them. The fact that so many people didn’t want to do simple things to protect others from a disease that has killed millions was quite eye opening. And these were mostly the same people who scoffed at BLM protests. I didn’t realize there were so many people in this world who could lack so much empathy. I hope that changes in the future but even if we do make progress history so often finds ways to repeat itself.

# data[].attributes.body
I have Selective Mutism and living with Selective Mutism in Covid has been really hard. Many people don’t understand or know what selective mutism is about.

“It’s selected right? Why won’t you just talk?”

“It’s not that hard. Just open your mouth and talk.”

Selective Mutism isn’t selective. The best way to describe Selective Mutism is an extreme phobia to speak to people. There’s no cure, it’ll never fully go away. I always felt like something bad was going to happen to me, and extreme shyness, anxiety, and fear took over my emotional controls to make friends, go to school, or even order a meal at a diner. When I was younger, my mutism got so bad I couldn’t talk to anyone outside of my immediate family.  My grandparents scared me, so I was aggressive to protect myself, and I only really had one friend who did all the talking and communicating for me. After going through therapy for a little over a year, I was improving and able to talk to more people outside of my circle.

Through middle school I had a ton of friends and was mainly described as the chatterbox and even given a nickname “Cricket” to describe how much talking I actually did, like a cricket chirping. Near the end of eighth grade, Covid hit. Like most kids, I was excited to have weeks off from school and stay home all day. That excitement slowly started to fade into boredom, fear, and anxious thoughts. My heart would race, my palms would get sweaty, and I’d start to hyperventilate. Sure, I had talked to people over the phone and on zoom, but they could never see me. I’d never had to look at them and know that my every word had to be thoroughly thought out to get my point across. For me, this was a huge setback. All of my progress had been wiped away and I started living again with the constant fear of social interaction, especially in in-person school. Now that everything is going back to normal, I have to retrain my brain that it’s okay to have conversations with people I've never met before, it’s okay for people not to like me, and it’s okay to mess up. I’ve also learned that it’s okay for people to know these things about me, and I shouldn’t be ashamed of seeing the world from a different perspective. Sometimes, I still have panic attacks before presentations and sometimes I’m unable to speak at parties, restaurants, and hang-outs. My parents are my Covid heroes because they’ve done everything in their power to help me, and I am very grateful for them.  Although Covid set me back a ton,  I now get to discover new things about myself and solutions to my fear. I’ve learned that selective mutism is not something to be fixed, hide, or get rid of, but instead something to embrace.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 although is something that wasn’t on my bucket list before entering my first year of high school impacted me a lot. I feel like I changed a lot mentally and I started to spend more time with my family and doing things that matter to me.  I’ve realized that the time you spend with people should be valued. I can strongly say that I took time for granted because I thought I had a lot of it but this pandemic has made me realize otherwise. For a good year or so seeing friends and going out to my favorite places was something I couldn’t do, so I knew when it was all over I was going to live my life to the fullest with no regrets. I want to thank the teachers for making remote learning not as bad. But I think it made me miss being at school which is crazy because I used to just look at the clock waiting for school to be over already and now I just want to be in school. I really don’t know how I can describe remote learning other than it being just hard. I think it was hard on everyone. From my own experience I would feel unmotivated to do work and go to class on a computer. My COVID heroes are my family for being understanding about how I felt and without realizing they motivated me in keeping my grades up. The vaccine I think gave me hope that soon things would be back to normal and that I could again go out without a mask. To the future generations, go out, have fun, make friends, don't be in your room all day on your phone because one thing Covid-19 taught me is that things happen unexpectedly one day your in school with your friends the next you’re being told that you couldn’t see your friends or that all those plans you made were now being canceled and you had to stay home for the next year.

# data[].attributes.body
I will introduce myself in the video and my graduating class. I will talk about what I remember from when the pandemic started, to now. I will answer the questions: How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted you, what has remote learning been like, how has the vaccine changed your life, and what do I want future generations to know about the Covid-19 pandemic. I will also give the viewer a little taste of the outside pandemic world.

Link to video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/197dLJQU2G04McyiSCfTwfVpO_j3KWLxg/view?usp=drivesdk

# data[].attributes.body
I remember the start of the Covid-19 pandemic pretty well, because it was the most confusing few days I’ve ever experienced. I was in 8th grade, in my previous middle school and I’d heard about covid previously. However, like many others, I thought it was just another disease like the flu, that some people would get and just be temporarily sick, and then we’d move on. That day, on that Thursday before when they shut schools down, I remember asking our assistant principal about it. She told me not to worry and that at most, schools would be closed for a week or two. Well, seeing as it’s been more than a year with mostly online schooling, I can confidently say that statement was wrong. Even though that memory is something memorable, I found that Friday, and the weekend after to be something that was especially memorable. That Friday I walked into my English class for the first period, and noticed that from the 30 or so students that were supposed to show up, I was one of 12 that actually came. I remember a kid made a joke about covid as someone next to me cleared their throat in a way that seemed like coughing. I remember smiling and thinking that most of the students were overreacting. I was supposed to take the subway home with my friend, but my mom came to pick me up in our car instead. And I remember an argument I had with my parents because I wanted to go to the movie theater with my friend and they wouldn’t let me. “It wasn’t safe” is what they said. I was confused. A week ago, they said the opposite. But now, they were scared. I didn’t understand what had changed. Until, they announced that schools were shut down for 2 months and that the next week, we would have no school as the teachers hurried to set up online learning for the first time. I think that was the first time I realized that it was real, and that this was really happening. But even then, I couldn’t imagine how bad and just how long it would last. Thankfully, I haven’t lost anyone to Covid but the fear I felt for my family in anti-mask states was real. And that is something that I want future generations to know about this pandemic. Is that not everyone lost someone they loved, but almost everyone feared for someone they loved. We all had to distance ourselves from people to protect them, and for those whose families, like mine, who don’t like near them, it was a nagging fear that somehow, someone would mess up, and I wouldn’t get to say goodbye. One of my elderly grandparents had a pacemaker put in because he had a heart attack, and the fear I felt of having him go to the hospital was real. And, I lost a pet during this time. And I remember that at first, the nurses at the animal hospital wouldn’t let my parents and I into the room to say goodbye to her. And that was terrifying, so I can’t imagine the pain that people felt when they lost that chance with family members. I just don’t want it to be remembered as a victory in the history books, with the world finding a vaccine, I want it to be remembered for the scary thing that it was for a lot of people. And I don't mean to say that it was all bad, I remember good things during the pandemic too. I got into a great high school, I made new friends, I relearned an old hobby (well, a couple), and spent the entire summer last year with my best friend who would normally be at camp. It was just a terrible thing, and I hope we don't numb ourselves to what happened over time.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid 19 - Something all of us will remember. It impacted each of us in different ways. In some ways we wouldn't have wanted it to, but maybe for others there were some positive things. I'm going to talk about my overall experience with the covid-19 pandemic.

Let's start at the beginning. When this first happened and everyone was saying how schools were going to be closed, and we were going to have remote schools everyone (including me) were super excited because something like this never happened (at least to our Generation) so this was something completely new. Mainly because we felt like this was going to be a vacation. But what we didn't know was all the Horrific events that would happen throughout this time. Something I really want to share is that a kid came in wearing a mask on the last day of in person school (before we would be homeschooled)and we were so confused because we were like “it's not even the US it's not a big deal”.  But little did we know Masks would become a daily thing, our protection and our barrier to feel somewhat safe going outside. I mean that kid was smart. Anyways when covid-19 started and they were putting all these regulations about the distance and the Mask, even urging you to stay home, I got a little scared and worried because my dad lives in Connecticut with some of my family and I knew that for a few months I wouldn't be able to see them and not just that but I was worried for their health (of all my faimly). So I think a mixture of not being able to see some of my family for a while and not being able to go through a regular daily life like before really creeped up on many of us. Personally, I started having a lot of anxiety. I was just feeling down all the time. Everything is getting better now as we are slowly going back to normal.  So I would say that covid-19 impacted me both positively and negatively because this taught me that there are some things we should Implement into our daily life just in general to be protected day-by-day (covid-19 being here or not).  Overall it was a roller coaster of emotions. But I think it's been a really great learning experience. Also helped me grow (get stronger) mentally.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 impacted me both positively and negatively. It impacted me positively because it helped me focus on my inner self and my mental state, making me realize so many things about myself that I wouldn't have realized before Covid-19. It impacted me negatively because it caused me not to be able to fully embrace being outside and being able to do things with friends/family due to social distancing and the closing of certain events. It also cancelled many things I was going to attend such as broadway musicals and even musicals I am participating in my own school. It also caused me a graduation and prom of Middle School. Remote learning wasn't the best thing as it caused me to become more of a procrastinator and be more distracted, but I was still able to make friends within freshman year and create new experiences to cope with the pandemic. I don't really have a specific Covid-19 hero, because my friends have mostly been there for me through this pandemic and embracing everything together. The vaccine hasn't really changed my life specifically as I don't have it, but I've noticed how cases have decreased and things have been opening up more since its release. I want future generations to know that Covid-19 was a very hard time and a reason for them to embrace the feeling of being outside and being social with others, and in general embracing the good things in life before you can't have it for a period of time or not anymore.

# data[].attributes.body
The Covid-19 pandemic has
impacted me in way's I don't think I can explain fully. I think the biggest thing was losing my grandfather who was and always be my best friend, death wasn't something I was use to I didn't really have many family members die, So when one of the closes people to me passed away I felt a feeling I never felt before. My grandfather is the strongest man I know, He had cancer three times and beat them every time he also had so many health problems and fought his way through so when Covid was his final battle I was in a pain like never before. I was at my lowest, having to do school, work a job, and grieving made me very all over the place. But after months of grieving I grew stronger. I realized that my grandfather would want me to stay strong and do my best, so I used the information with everything especially when it came to my artwork. I improved so much when it came to art, using my emotions and putting them in art made me create pieces me and many others enjoy. my passion for art grew, and Iv'e became stronger than Iv'e ever been and I know my grandfather would be proud. Covid has broke and rebuilt me into someone powerful

The art piece below is a drawing I did a few weeks ago :)

# data[].attributes.body
The quarantine has had its ups and downs. It has brought me closer to my family, listen to more music, watch more tv, exercise more. Unfortunately, it has taken the overnight school trip in 8th grade, couldn't go see movies, go to amusement parks, and other entertainment. I don't like taking school at home because I don't feel like I am getting the full freshman experience. Thankfully, my parents, my Covid heroes, have allowed me to see my friends and participate in entertaining activities. I want future generations to not make the same mistakes our government has so if there is another pandemic they will be better prepared.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 pandemic impacted me in many ways. It allowed me to listen to more soundtracks and allowed me to go to the gym. It had also brought me scary moments, and panicking moments. It also made me feel stressed because I couldn’t be able to do programs helping my future career. It also robbed me of my last experience of middle school. It took away from being my last and final bow in Legally Blonde. It did not allow me to have my cast party and say my goodbyes. My remote learning class was not not very good, but I understood that teachers did their best to teach us remotely. It was scary knowing that next year I will be in person and it is based on what we learned this year. Since I feel like I completed classwork but didn't really learn. It is scary to think how much more things I am going to be doing in person. My Covid-19 hero is my family. They made it fun and were always there for me. Without them it would have been miserable. The vaccine changed my life because it means a step closer to getting control of Covid-19. It means that we can now go slowly back to our daily lifestyle. It lets us go back to school in person. It also changed my life by creating a sense of peace. It makes me feel safer that my family got the vaccine. I will want future generations to know that Covid-19 was very bad for all of us and good in ways, but I think it taught us all one thing. Which is don't take anyone or anything for granted, because you don’t know when that can be taken away. Enjoy going to school in person because every student missed a year that was important to them. Also I want them to know that in Covid-19 we saw how many people tried their best to still stay creative and figure out a way to learn.

# data[].attributes.body
I actually liked that quarantine happened because it let me do the things I like to do.

COVID sucks though.  People died.  People were getting really sick.  Everyone now has to walk around with masks on.  And keeping them on all day makes it hard to wear masks.

Sitting in school with two masks was really hard.

# data[].attributes.body
An unresolved conflict was the Coronavirus.People did not socially distance.And some didn't listen to the rules.I tried telling people to wear masks.but they didn't listen. At this point it will be very hard to resolve It.because it is killing a lot of people.If people take it seriously it could end.

# data[].attributes.body
Remote learning was good but there were a lot of distractions like my pc. The classes were good but the work that was given felt like they were just work you didn't have to do but at the same time I did have to do it. I enjoyed learning about u.s history and how we are at the point that we are today. I enjoyed how there wasn't any big testing like the regents so I just took advantage of it and just passed the class. The teachers were very nice and cool. They were relaxed so they made you feel very comfortable learning.

# data[].attributes.body
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted my life in many ways. First of all, it cut my last year of middle school short. At the time I wasn’t very upset about it because I didn’t love my school, but later it hit me how much I was looking forward to senior activities. The pandemic caused our senior trip to get canceled, and made us have the worst graduation you’ve ever seen. (It was really bad.) Another way the pandemic impacted my life was by performances being canceled. I never realized how significant performing was in my life, so when I suddenly couldn’t do it it was very strange. However, I was able to take up a hobby that helped fill the void. During the pandemic I started cosplaying, and it not only became a fun hobby, but also a way to ‘practice’ acting skills without being able to actually act. Now because of this I’m going to cosplay at my first anime con in November. Speaking of anime, because of the pandemic I became obsessed with it, and it led me to make a lot of friends immediately in Rep. Lastly, the pandemic completely changed what I thought my first year of high school would be like. The whole year was a mix of online and in school learning, and it was an… interesting experience. Overall, this whole year (or more than that now) has been a once in a lifetime journey that I would not want to go through again.

# data[].attributes.headline
What I like to call the Time Loop, and me being sentimental 

# data[].attributes.subject
What I like to call the Time Loop, and me being sentimental 

# data[].attributes.body
I hope you're able to read this - you might want to scroll to the end because the beginning is kind of boring.
Since I’m not super creative, this is just me writing down everything that stuck out to me over the course of this major historical event. I’m going to start with the day before, because everything will make more sense that way. But before I do, I have one note - I was lucky enough to get put in an elective with my sister at the time (she was in 6th and I was in 8th) and I distinctly remember this one crazy kid in the grade between us (7th) bursting into the room and yelling; "It's Corona time!" With a Corona Beer shirt on. It was a stupid joke, and everyone knew about what was happening around the world, but kids still joked about it because that was the normal thing to do. It was February or the end of January, sometime around then. We still had our puffy winter jackets slung over our chairs. My teacher kicked the kid out with an eye roll, but as I will explain later, it was extreme foreshadowing, like I was in a YA novel. Fast forward to March, same year, 2020 right after that happened - I was in 8th grade, and it was a Wednesday - it was opening night for Legally Blonde, and I had to skip school for a family event. After said family event, my parents rushed my sister and I back to Manhattan - we had skipped lunch with our family, so we headed to Columbus Circle to get lunch at Turnstiles. So after we finish lunch, we get to the place, we get to the green room and my sister and I see all of our friends, my dad leaves to set up his camera, my mom helps the two of us and our other friend with hair and makeup. By then everyone is there, and we all get ready for the show. It was amazing, but I had no idea that it would be my last on a stage with lights and friends for the next one and a half years. Skip to the next day, and I had the best time, it was like the world was foreshadowing everything before me and I had no idea. But when I got to the green room - I was early along with two or three of my other friends who had been doing shows with me for the longest time - the manager of the arts department there, I guess you could say, told us that there wouldn’t be a show. They had to call it off, and I think I was shocked, but it hurt more to see the look on my friends’ faces, because it was going to be their last performance with the company. I didn’t go to school on Friday, and I’m glad I didn’t, because I would have tried to make everything perfect, unlike on Thursday when I didn’t even have to try to make things perfect. I barely remember the weekend - it was boring, probably, we just stayed inside, because that Monday they shut everything down. My sister and I had one week of playing indoors, and my parents were also home. I think my dad was working from home, but my mom couldn’t. Then online school picked up - by the end of the school year only one of our teachers used Zoom; my history teacher. Isn’t that crazy? Most of them used Google Meets. Now - like, today now, not your present time - we use Zoom for literally everything. Anyways, the most exciting part of serious quarantine was ordering food online because we had never ordered groceries from Fresh Direct before - it’s not as exciting as you think. Then, when we could go outside with masks, my mom took my sister and I outside every day. Every day after we finished our calls, and my sister had this huge bag of candy that she would bring - therefore, early quarantine always reminded me of Central Park (this one section we would always go to because it was close and we didn’t want to travel too far) and the smell of that candy - I also wore the same fleece jacket, which surprisingly still fit me. I think quarantine felt like one long dream, and then you wake up without realizing it and go back to sleep, and have a second, equally strange dream, and the process keeps repeating. My dreams also got more surreal - and I remember getting TikTok (I think my friends had it in middle school and I didn’t get it until quarantine) and everyone was talking about waking up at strange times at night and having weird dreams - everything felt off, but not just with “oh we have to wear masks now”. One epic tradition did come out of that summer - my mom drove us to the Rockaways, because we couldn’t take the train to the ferry. Then she got our other friends on board, who also took their own car. We were always socially distanced - my mom and her friend (who was the mom of my friends) tried to get us on a facetime call every week to do a new online museum exhibit - only me and my guy friend and our parents liked it, and soon we stopped doing it because there wasn’t anything interesting anymore. I remember the summer being a lot of Rockaway trips (aka lots of ice cream and Dunkin Donuts) and we did go camping in the states close to us - we were always social distanced, we quarantined before leaving, and we were out in the open air a lot, which felt nice. I think when school was in session, quarantine felt even weirder because every day felt the same - like we were in a time loop. I remember my mom becoming more and more lenient with my ever determined sister - she even let my sister make a giant “raccoon cake” which was just a cake with a ton of candy on it. I remember the orientation for Rep - I have this cool handshake with Mr Morrow that we made up that day and I partnered up with Victoria and AJ and I remember hearing Athena talk, and I remember Alex presenting his handshake with someone else, and Lola, too (along with Lyndsey, Ayala and Richard). It was weird, because I didn’t know those kids at all, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you all of their names at once back then. Now I know their names, their faces and their voices and their personalities, and my last in-person group (we had two because we had to go all online halfway through the year) was with Lola, Alice, Aneesa, Angel, Fatima, Alex, Richard, Gabi and Nico. My first in person group was great, too - I think the more we got to know each other the more it felt like I could say that I actually went to a school; I could actually say that I went to Repertory Company High School, even though in person days tended to feel like an orientation without supervision on repeat. I remember lots of facetimes with family for holidays and birthdays - mostly on my demand, because I love hearing my family members talk. Thank goodness my sister was with me - she would always suggest little activities and things to actually make holidays fun again; we went camping for her birthday, but it wasn’t the same as usual. I finally got to go outside and shop for my birthday, that one time, and everything felt more secure. More like reality and less like a hazy dream. I remember just a few weeks ago when my in person group got to film our dance in the blackbox, aka The Space - the best experience I’ve ever had at Rep yet. Everyone was running the dance together, kids were doing tricks and we were all exhausted and sweaty by the end, but it was the good kind. It felt closer to doing a show than any of the recorded or zoom shows I had ever done. I guess I should bring this to its end now, even though there is so much to say. This project was assigned by Mr Weissman and Ms I, and when they assigned it, Mr Weissman basically said “you’re making history right now.” I’m way too sentimental as a person, but I think that this made me even more sentimental. But hey, if THIS class was able to graduate freshman year (even though most of us claimed that we were dead inside) anyone can. So maybe take that as a piece of life advice.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 impact on me was when i was starting high school in the pandemic and didn't really get to know people physically. I didn't get to graduate with friends and see the happy look my parents face and have a prom to finally have a fun celebration for how hard we worked for 3 years. but starting high school i realized that i have to find hobbies and random things to do like writing drawing and even painting and that help relieve the stress during the quarantine. i've learned and paid attention to things it really was a struggle not seeing family and getting close to family. and i cant wait to see my friends in school in september

# data[].attributes.body
COVID - 19 has affected me in so many ways, it’s crazy. I started off thinking it was going to be a short little break, my friends and I were so excited and we couldn’t wait to stay home and watch movies all day. Little did we know, we didn’t go back to our middle school nor have a normal graduation. I had a zoom graduation, can you believe that? It was confusing honestly, I was happy to be gone, especially with all the toxicity in my school but it also wasn’t what I imagined, after dreaming of walking down the aisle with my friends looking all dressed up. Eventually, it took a toll on me and I started getting tired and felt really lonely. I tried new things like reading, working out, baking, cooking, just things to keep me busy. When June hit, I got to see my friends and started going out a little more. Then September hit. I was dealing with some things at home and I was also dealing with my very confused feelings. I was so excited to start off my freshman year… but not through a zoom call. I wanted to walk in, talk to new people, meet my teachers, feel the excitement, feel the nervousness. But, I did it!! I DID IT THROUGH A ZOOM CALL!! I made friends, I succeeded freshman year & I felt good about it. My hard work paid off and I made it to AP Government class & next week I’ll be attending workshops for AP English. I am so proud of myself and every single one of my classmates. WE ARE SO AMAZING!!

My remote learning experience: It was definitely not how I wanted to experience my freshman year. Not going to lie, it was a bit easier (shh google). But, I struggled with my attention span, especially distractions (my phone, my family). I still found my way though & I learned to put my phone away, I learned how to plan when I’m doing my assignments and when to give myself breaks, which were things that I never knew how to do with remote learning.

To my teachers: Overall, my experience included a bunch of feelings whether it was excited, lonely, confusing, happy, or tired. But, I am so grateful for the Rep teachers who were so kind, loving and supportive throughout the WHOLE ENTIRE JOURNEY. You guys made my freshman year a whole lot better and I will never ever forget you guys <3.

# data[].attributes.body
Self-isolation was a very new and not so fun experience for me. I am a person who thrives off of connections with people, so having no real conversations had a lot of impact on me. The first couple of months were all a blur to me. I spent my time hoping this would be over in time for my eighth grade graduation, I can’t remember a single day where I didn’t wish this was over. I hoped for a vaccine and for some miracle to happen and everything could go back to normal, but that never happened. When the pandemic started getting more serious and people started realizing that this wasn’t going to be over by the summer, I felt the need to distract myself. I started picking up random hobbies and spending money on useless items just because I needed a distraction. When I finally came to the realization that this was real and that I couldn’t distract myself from this issue I went into panic mode. I am not joking when I say that I packed multiple bags filled with masks, hand sanitizer, gloves and anything else I would need. I started writing in a notebook, I wrote lists of just random thoughts and ideas so that I could try and stay organized. One day when I was on a call with my friend she helped me realize that the last thing I needed to do was panic. She said “Everyone you know is panicking right now, so you need to keep it together and be the calm, rational one.” Of course she wasn’t saying to not be careful, but she was letting me know that the only way we'll make it through isolation is if we stop being blinded by the little things and look at this as a way to get ourselves together. So I did just that. I started focusing on myself and my mental health. This allowed me to grow so much as a person and figure out so much about myself, and I am grateful for that!

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 impacted me because the isolation let me figure out who I am. It gave me so many new hobbies that got me closer to people. I figured out my sexuality, my pronouns, everything that made me well. Even though it was bad for many people, I don’t think I would have changed this much without the isolation we were left in with Covid. I wouldn’t have gone through so many hairstyles that’s for sure. And let’s face it, as much as we don’t want to, change isn’t always that bad.

# data[].attributes.body
Not only that Covid-19 had a big impact on me, but it also had a big impact on the way I saw things in life. When I first was told that we would have to stay home for 2 weeks, I was honestly really excited, because every kid would be excited to be off school, especially since we would be in school every day. But, as time went by I started not to be excited from being off of school, as they extended and extended the time we had to stay home, which was the time covid started to get very serious. It made me think and feel a lot of different emotions, like what is this virus going to do to my future? Would I be able to have my senior trips and graduation as deserved (I was in 8th grade at the time)? How long will this go on for? And many other questions I had as being confused since I’ve never experienced something like this, but not only me, as well as a lot of other people. Now that it has been a year and more of going through this, I have noticed a change in myself. I would think way more than I used to, like of myself, my health, and the health of other people. As well as taking the time to get to know myself better and the way I acted, and I say this because before this all happened the majority of my time was worrying about going to school and back, eating, and sleeping. But now, I meditate more, I have the time to connect with my family way more, and overall do things for my mental health that I have never thought of doing before. But, we all have our negatives during our time of staying home. I was never the best at talking to people outside my family and close friends, but now that I am used to staying home it has gotten way more harder to talk to others than usual. I would walk outside my home and be nervous to see people, and now that I am doing school remotely, I have had trouble talking to my peers and teachers, as well as having the motivation to stay focused and do my work on time, which is something that has never happened to me before, it was all new to me. Especially seeing so many people suffer and lose their jobs, not being able to leave the house with a mask and hand sanitizer, it sucks. It’s not the same. But, in the meantime, I need to stay strong and improve my communication skills, and speak up when I need to. We CAN get through this.

# data[].attributes.body
The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted my life in so many ways. I wasn’t able to graduate middle school the way I was hoping too. There was no prom, no senior trip, no walking down the aisle and across the stage to receive our “diploma” and no receiving certificates and celebrating our accomplishments the way we wanted to. I was never able to give all my friends a hug that Friday, we just thought we would be back in the building in a week or two.  But then that week or two turned into a month and that month turned into 3 month then a year. And before we knew it middle school was over we had a virtual graduation, had our year books delivered to our homes and had that chapter of our young lives come to an end. Welcoming in an unusual summer everyone is wearing masks, unable to travel out of the country to visit family. Family trips canceled, community events canceled, visiting friends canceled before we knew it corona was the queen of the streets. Everyday to turn on the television to hear that hundred, then thousands and millions of people have died because of Ms.Rona. It hurt even more when it hit close to home family members getting corona having my aunt pass away with Corona. It wasn’t something we expected. She never got a proper burial. We never got to see her in the hospital. My uncle just called my dad with the news and the world seemed to crumble endlessly. Everything I ever thought was true made me feel like it never was. I had to open my eyes to the fact that there is no such thing as normal. It's only a concept because we as human beings create and accept this “normal”. I went through a world wind of emotions with corona, black lives matter, transitioning from a middle schooler to a high schooler who is apparently a sophomore now and after sophomore year will only have 2 more years of high school. It’s just crazy how the world works, but all this fills me up with gratitude. Gratitude for being on this planet at this amazing transition point, it made me have so much gratitude for being human and all the people i have in my life, all the people i have and will soon come in contact with. Also gratitude for the beings that came before me and lead and paved the path for me to be here today. It also filled me up with energy, energy to face and stop the suppression that people like me and my ancestors face. Our voices have been and are still being silenced, I have been filled with passion to make a change and find a truth, find my truth and be my highest and best self.

# data[].attributes.body
I want future generations to know that this pandemic hit people hard. For those with enough money to pack up and move out, things were okay, but a lot of people were stuck with friends and neighbors dying. This pandemic has changed how people see the world and interact with it. Lives have been changed, yet those stories aren’t being told. We are all trying to adjust and make the world better, though. We are trying to do better for the future, for the next generations. We learned how to wash our hands, we learned how to grieve, we learned that unfortunately, the world won’t wait for us. We have to get up and do what we want and change what we want. We have to fight for what we want. Future generations need to know that the pandemic is a story of resilience. We made it out.

# data[].attributes.body
The first time I heard about Covid 19 was probably sometime in the winter of 2019. I was getting lunch with my friends, and when we crossed the street to Rivoli’s Pizza my friend said;

“Did you hear about the new disease in China?”

“No.” I said.

“Well apparently it’s really bad.”

“My uncle is supposed to go to China soon” my other friend added. “I hope he still can.”

Less than a month later, this was starting to become more troubling news. Me and my friend were rushing down the stairs during a fire drill.

“But it’s only as bad as the flu, right? Some people survive it.” I asked her.

“We don’t know that.” She said, “ My dad said that the people who have survived it just haven’t died yet.”

As more and more people in America started getting it, people were talking about schools shutting down. Back then they were still telling everyone not to wear masks. I looked back at a safety video my school sent out earlier in the year, and this lady was telling everyone not to wear masks because the hospitals didn’t have enough, and they actually brought the disease back into your body, or something like that. Misinformation was spreading faster than the disease itself at that point. Everyone thought we were gonna get a week or two off of school and come back right after.

One day me, my mom, and my brother went to the grocery store maskless, (everyone was back then), and bought a bunch of canned foods. Looking back on it, it was pretty silly. It’s not like we wouldn’t have been able to go outside for food or order or something when we had to quarantine. I guess it was just to make us feel safe or in control, something nobody was feeling at that time.

On the final days of winter,  I was taking a walk outside with my family, when my phone started blowing up with texts. Schools had been indefinitely cancelled until April. I mean, I was nervous but I was laughing so hard. It was exciting. It’s like when there's a fire drill at school and you’re secretly hoping there was an actual fire. Not a big one that actually affects people, just a little one in the science lab or something. You want a full hour off of school where everyone is just shivering outside listening to the firetrucks and having fun.

And maybe you hate your school a little bit.

My little firetruck dreams were quickly squandered as more restrictions started being placed on New York City. Eventually my family realized we would be quarantining in our tiny apartment, and we started to adapt. As soon as we were allowed to leave our homes, my mother spent whatever moment she could in the park, or with friends, or at picnics, or anywhere that wasn’t the house. She would get so excited about little things reopening like Chelsea market, or outdoor theaters, or that french place with the little colorful meringues. The rest of us never quite understood. I didn’t feel trapped, I didn’t want to go outside, I didn’t want to do anything. My dad lost his job doing visual effects at Brainstorm Digital, (I would be lying if I tried to make this sound devastating, most people who lost their jobs had it much worse than us). My brother stopped doing his schoolwork, and started failing all of his classes, and I was okay. At the start of quarantine I was actually okay. I was doing better in school than I had ever done before, started exercising, (though this endeavor was short lived), and even quit therapy. (In hindsight this may not have been the best idea, but in my mind I was feeling better and talking about old stuff was making me feel worse.) I added anxiety to the list of foes conquered, and started moving on with my life. Then we went to Israel.

We go to Israel every summer to visit our family. The trip is usually a joy for me, but this year was different. My grandpa was getting sicker every day, and because of this virus I couldn’t hug my grandma. That was hard for a little while. My grandpa died about a month after we got there, which was harder. And other stuff.

Now listen future generations; As much as I would love to tell you all about that summer, people I know are gonna be reading this, and that’s just weird. I hope you understand.

So at this point I had downloaded instagram, and was starting to see a whole different side of my classmates. Now everything that was being posted was about some injustice in the world. I had never seen people my age caring so much about the things I did. It was beautiful, but also sometimes dangerous. People would see things that their friends reposted and post them too, and that way a lot of lies were spread. When conflict started arising in Israel later that year, it was hard enough to feel the weight of my country and all the harm it’s done, while also seeing people who don’t care, mindlessly post twisted facts and false narratives. Of course, all through this year were the black lives matter protests, the death of Goerge Floyd and countless other innocent black people, the capitol building riot, the transition between presidents, and a whole bunch of other moments in history that I somehow had the honor of living through. It was incredible.

So now we’re back in New York, and I’m so unbelievably excited for the start of freshman year. I was so excited that those first few weeks on zoom felt like forever. And then, we finally got to go to school. Every Tuesday I would wake up early and get on my leotard and tights, pick out my outfit and scoot on off to school. It was fun. I was so happy to finally be in a school where people were nice to each other, and teachers cared about me, and even sometimes thought I was special, (something I had been yearning for in middle school). Then the virus got bad again in New York and in person school was over, and it was just me in my room again, every day of the week. Now, future generations reading, remember what we said about this? There was stuff that I wish I could tell you about. I don’t know. Maybe someday I’ll find a way. For now though, you’re just gonna have to settle with what I’m cool with my teachers reading.

So, now things are way better! We’re approaching summer again, and I’m sad the year went by so quickly and at the same time happy it did. I’m fully vaccinated and ready to give some people some hugs. I hope you’re getting plenty of them.

Much love, Ayala

:)

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 has been literally the weirdest time of my life. From one week off of school to a year of quarantine, Covid has had some minor and major impacts on my life.

March 13th, 2020 was the last normal day of school. No social distancing, no masks, no zoom. From that day on life completely changed for the worst. At first I didn’t understand. I heard I had a week off of school, and I thought that meant I could go out everyday with my friends. But in reality there was a deadly virus outside that thousands of people were catching daily. It was more than the “just the flu”, and my mom had to explain that to me. And so although at first I didn’t understand, I definitely do now. Life still isn’t normal and it’s June 16th, 2021. Nearly 4 million people have died worldwide. And so many people lost their jobs. One of those people happened to be my stepmom.

My stepmom lost her job in 2020, leaving my dad no choice but to work harder and work more. My dad, who was struggling, thought it would be best to move to Oregon to his mother-in-law’s house. They already had plans to move. And the cost of living there is cheaper than New York. So although they were supposed to move 3 years from now, they moved 3 months ago in March of 2021. My dad himself told me if Covid didn't happen, he would still be living in New York. This has been the hardest change for me because I’m used to the comfort of him living a 20 minute walk away and seeing him weekly. But now he lives across the country. He also moved with my sister, and that has been incredibly hard because my sister is my everything, and now she is so far away. I still have a lot of adjusting to do.

On a lighter note, another significant impact was the way Covid got me away from my horrible “friends”. Middle school was tough for me. My friend group was so toxic to me, constantly making up lies, excluding me, and treating me as less than them. I eventually had no one. I didn’t want to go to school, and I would have to hope and hope I’d have a good day. When Covid hit and everything was virtual, I got away from them. I didn’t have to see them everyday, I didn’t have to talk to them. Quarantine saved me from the toxic environment I had at school. It also gave my toxic friends time to think, and eventually they all apologized to me. Covid made everyone think a little harder, and learn to stop taking things for granted. I educated myself in many social issues and took Covid as an opportunity to teach others. I tried all the quarantine trends- my favorite had to be making whipped coffee. I ordered stuff online and became an at home barista and made my family Starbucks drinks from home. Through this tough time, there were many fun moments with my family at home.

I’m ready to get back to normal life. I feel like Covid gave me a fresh start. New friends, a new school, and a new house, because I moved during Covid as well! I’m ready to live again. I’m ready to reverse the laziness that virtual school gave me and get back to real school. Get back to performing. I got my vaccine and I feel ready. With so many people getting the vaccine around me, I’m not scared anymore. I feel protected. I am confident that we will have some sense of normalcy soon. I’m ready.

# data[].attributes.body
I made an image of how online learning is for me. Before covid i got every assignment in exactly on time with no trouble focusing at all. Now, with the combination of having barely any work and being online, I can't seem to get it done at all. When I have a whole week to do a 10 minute assignment I physically can’t make myself do it.  I only get around to it when I notice it's about a week or 2 late and I think my mom will get mad at me. But then I get mad at myself for not trying hard enough because it's so easy and I just can't do it. I've tried planners or whatever but that doesnt help so I'm just stuck in this loop of being super stressed that I have late work but not being able to do it.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 has been such a roller coaster. There have definitely been bad parts, and times where it got hard. But with the bad, some good also occurred. Today I want to talk about the good that came out of this crazy event, and why I am somewhat grateful for this crazy past year. Going into Covid, I had a pretty tight/ close friend group. It consisted of me and a couple other guys I met in 7th and 8th. We hung out every day, did group projects, and were constantly on the phone. During Covid we all tried to stay in touch, but eventually we ran out of things to talk about since the world had ‘stopped moving’. We all then took the time to really change and develop as people, and try to find ourselves more. And as we did that, a lot of us realized we were outgrowing each other even if we didn’t want to admit it. The atmosphere was becoming toxic for a lot of us.

While this was all going on, 2 of the people from this group started talking to a different group of people, Theo, Leeam, and Matt (There is also this girl named Caitlyn in our group but I met her through Leeam!). Who I soon got to know, and became mutual friends with. We started hanging out, and I even introduced these new friends to my best friend, Isabel and my parents. As time went on, I got closer to these new friends but farther from my old ones. I was in denial and was really afraid of change. Until I realized Covid was all about change. I had dealt with change so many times already, why not try and welcome something positive.

From that day forward Isabel and I were on the phone with them every night, we played video games, watched shows, and even just talked. We hung out every week multiple times, and became a “pod family”. I realized how much better these new friends were for me, and how I left every hangout/ call feeling included, happy, excited, and somehow already missing them.

I am now so grateful that I was able to welcome this change into my life and accept some of the best friends I have ever had. The 6 of us are practically inseparable, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And although I don’t speak to a lot of the kids I used to be friends with, I will always feel grateful that they introduced me to my current best friends. It has almost been a year since I met them, and I genuinely feel so lucky.

# data[].attributes.body
Covid-19 pandemic impacted me in many ways. It allowed me to listen to more soundtracks and allowed me to go to the gym. It had also brought me scary moments, and panicking moments. It also made me feel stressed because I couldn’t be able to do programs helping my future career.It also robbed me of my last experience of middle school. It took away from being my last and final bow in Legally Blonde. It did not allow me to have my cast party and say my goodbyes. My remote learning class was not not very good, but I understood that teachers did their best to teach us remotely. It was scary knowing that next year I will be in person and it is based on what we learned this year. Since I feel like I completed classwork but didn't really learn. It is scary to think how much more things I am going to be doing in person. My Covid-19 hero is my family. They made it fun and were always there for me. Without them it would have been miserable. The vaccine changed my life because it means a step closer to getting control of Covid-19. It means that we can now go slowly back to our daily lifestyle. It lets us go back to school in person. It also changed my life by creating a sense of peace. It makes me feel safer that my family got the vaccine. I will want future generations to know that Covid-19 was very bad for all of us and good in ways, but I think it taught us all one thing. Which is don't take anyone or anything for granted, because you don’t know when that can be taken away. Enjoy going to school in person because every student missed a year that was important to them. Also I want them to know that in Covid-19 we saw how many people tried their best to still stay creative and figure out a way to learn.

Covid-19 pandemic impacted me in many ways. It allowed me to listen to more soundtracks and allowed me to go to the gym. It had also brought me scary moments, and panicking moments. It also made me feel stressed because I couldn’t be able to do programs helping my future career.It also robbed me of my last experience of middle school. It took away from being my last and final bow in Legally Blonde. It did not allow me to have my cast party and say my goodbyes. My remote learning class was not not very good, but I understood that teachers did their best to teach us remotely. It was scary knowing that next year I will be in person and it is based on what we learned this year. Since I feel like I completed classwork but didn't really learn. It is scary to think how much more things I am going to be doing in person. My Covid-19 hero is my family. They made it fun and were always there for me. Without them it would have been miserable. The vaccine changed my life because it means a step closer to getting control of Covid-19. It means that we can now go slowly back to our daily lifestyle. It lets us go back to school in person. It also changed my life by creating a sense of peace. It makes me feel safer that my family got the vaccine. I will want future generations to know that Covid-19 was very bad for all of us and good in ways, but I think it taught us all one thing. Which is don't take anyone or anything for granted, because you don’t know when that can be taken away. Enjoy going to school in person because every student missed a year that was important to them. Also I want them to know that in Covid-19 we saw how many people tried their best to still stay creative and figure out a way to learn.Covid-19 pandemic impacted me in many ways. It allowed me to listen to more soundtracks and allowed me to go to the gym. It had also brought me scary moments, and panicking moments. It also made me feel stressed because I couldn’t be able to do programs helping my future career.It also robbed me of my last experience of middle school. It took away from being my last and final bow in Legally Blonde. It did not allow me to have my cast party and say my goodbyes. My remote learning class was not not very good, but I understood that teachers did their best to teach us remotely. It was scary knowing that next year I will be in person and it is based on what we learned this year. Since I feel like I completed classwork but didn't really learn. It is scary to think how much more things I am going to be doing in person. My Covid-19 hero is my family. They made it fun and were always there for me. Without them it would have been miserable. The vaccine changed my life because it means a step closer to getting control of Covid-19. It means that we can now go slowly back to our daily lifestyle. It lets us go back to school in person. It also changed my life by creating a sense of peace. It makes me feel safer that my family got the vaccine. I will want future generations to know that Covid-19 was very bad for all of us and good in ways, but I think it taught us all one thing. Which is don't take anyone or anything for granted, because you don’t know when that can be taken away. Enjoy going to school in person because every student missed a year that was important to them. Also I want them to know that in Covid-19 we saw how many people tried their best to still stay creative and figure out a way to learn.Covid-19 pandemic impacted me in many ways. It allowed me to listen to more soundtracks and allowed me to go to the gym. It had also brought me scary moments, and panicking moments. It also made me feel stressed because I couldn’t be able to do programs helping my future career.It also robbed me of my last experience of middle school. It took away from being my last and final bow in Legally Blonde. It did not allow me to have my cast party and say my goodbyes. My remote learning class was not not very good, but I understood that teachers did their best to teach us remotely. It was scary knowing that next year I will be in person and it is based on what we learned this year. Since I feel like I completed classwork but didn't really learn. It is scary to think how much more things I am going to be doing in person. My Covid-19 hero is my family. They made it fun and were always there for me. Without them it would have been miserable. The vaccine changed my life because it means a step closer to getting control of Covid-19. It means that we can now go slowly back to our daily lifestyle. It lets us go back to school in person. It also changed my life by creating a sense of peace. It makes me feel safer that my family got the vaccine. I will want future generations to know that Covid-19 was very bad for all of us and good in ways, but I think it taught us all one thing. Which is don't take anyone or anything for granted, because you don’t know when that can be taken away. Enjoy going to school in person because every student missed a year that was important to them. Also I want them to know that in Covid-19 we saw how many people tried their best to still stay creative and figure out a way to learn.

# data[].attributes.body
A video compiling many of the promotional vaccine images that have been sent out from multiple resources over the “Shots” audio to show what life is like right now, and what the media is like now as opposed to what it looked like in the before times. I also picked up editing during quarantine over my free time, another way the pandemic has impacted me.

# data[].attributes.body
When I first heard of COVID on the news, this was when I was in Middle School and didn’t believe that it was going on. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The next thing I knew, I was stuck in my house with a virus going around. In the earlier times, New York was at a high risk of people getting the virus so I and my family stayed in Flordia for a while until it died down. During my time in Flordia, I got to be in a big house and even a Harry Potter-themed house which was pretty cool! With remote learning, everything began to turn around for me. I got better grades and my parents didn’t bug me about it which was great, to say the least! Anyways, after we left Flordia and got back to New York, we had to switch apartments landing me in Roosevelt Island where I am now. The place looked like some hotel from the inside, it was insane! It didn’t even look like an apartment complex! The best part about it was when the virus was going around, my parents bought the place for less which was cool! Later, my family decided to go to Georgia to visit my grandma who has been alone this entire time and they even considered staying in Georgia to take care of her but we went back to New York and still kept on living with COVID. My family is gonna get me the vaccine somewhere between now and when my freshman year ends.