The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of people to stop their way of life and immediately had to self quarantine and social distance themselves from other people. Because of this, almost every student had to return home and finish their semester online. Some students were okay with the sudden change and aftermath from school to home, while others were negatively affected. 

YSU student Lydia E. Johnson, a senior majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry, experienced some ups and downs during the pandemic.

Mentally dealing with the effects of the pandemic was quite difficult for Lydia. She was an RA for Cafaro House and she worked the week all the residents moved out. It was hard for her to see so many faces sad to leave; a lot of the students that moved out were freshmen who didn’t get to end their first year with their peers, friends, or roommates. “After moving home, I didn’t have a job for about a month which is very out of the ordinary for me. I’m a very “if I don’t work today, I’m going to do something else productive” type of person, but once I finished school work during quarantine I would lazily watch Netflix. I sort of fell into a slump.” Lydia exclaimed

Lydia was also affected physically due to her staying indoors during the pandemic. She said “Freshmen fifteen? More like quarantine fifteen! I never left my house, so I just stayed in and ate more of my mom’s home cooking! My sleep schedule also shifted, to the point where I’d stay up until 4/5am and sleep in until 1/2pm. That really came back for me once I started working again!"

Lydia could no longer work her RA position because of safety and health concerns. It was difficult for her to find work. Lydia adds “At first, yes. I had planned on looking at internships for the summer, but once moving out happened and classes shifted online, I guess I lost track of applying to them. After resigning from my RA a position, I knew I needed another job to pay the bills, so I applied to around ten places. I eventually found a decent job, but it’s not how I expected the summer before my senior year to go.”

The unprecedented pandemic has changed the way Lydia views the world. She explains “For me, the pandemic has shown me just how badly people need to be educated on certain subjects; hygiene and public health, for example. I have had two internships with the Trumbull County Combined Health District, and I have learned a great deal regarding public health (especially local disparities) during my time there. It was easy sharing this information with my family and educating them on the dangers of viruses, and the importance of hand washing, as well as disinfecting commonly touched services. As far as others though, I still have customers at work telling me masks are stupid and do nothing. The same goes for the “6ft” social distancing rule. I believe a lot of people do not tend to research these subjects or read scholarly articles/published research. I wish looking up scientific information was more commonplace in everyone’s lives.”

During the early days of the pandemic, scientists discovered that the easiest way for the coronavirus to travel is through close proximity. With this information, Lydia knew what she had to change. Lydia explains ”before this pandemic, I was always conscious of germs and illness, especially having lived in the dorms for three years (shared spaces have lots of germs), so I always practice good hygiene, such as hand washing and wiping things down. This pandemic has, however, made me spatially cautious. When I have to go to the store, I am hyper-aware of how close my body is to other people and objects, and I try not to touch anything I don’t have to. When I get home, I wipe packaging/products I buy with disinfectant wipes. Looking back, it’s crazy to think that other, less deadly contagions spread this way, such as the flu. How many times have I picked up an item at a store that a sick person recently touched? It’s quite scary to think that this happens all the time, pandemic or not. I will definitely be more aware after this pandemic now that I have realized these things!”

Lydia will also try to educate people on the subjects I know too. Her grandfather had no idea how viruses even spread or worked, and she tried to explain them to him so he would understand the situation at hand. She thought this helped him realize some things. Lydia felt that sometimes, having someone to explain something to you can really be a benefit!