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Pandemic Stories Project oral histories, 2020

NAU.OH.2020.52 
NAU.MS.522

Creator:	Walker, Nicole; Ruwe, Donelle Rae, 1965-; Woods, Gioia, 1968-
Title:	Pandemic Stories Project oral histories
Inclusive Dates:	2020 July-November
Quantity:	42 born-digital video recordings (MP4), 2 born-digital audio recordings (MP3), 1.054 MB born-digital textual material (.txt, .doc, PDF files)
Abstract:	The Pandemic Stories Project oral histories contains oral history interviews conducted by Northern Arizona University (NAU) undergraduate students in the fall of 2020 regarding the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. These interviews were conducted as part of the Fall 2020 course The Plague Project Seminar: Plague, Pandemic, and Meaning in the Humanities (HUM 382, ENG 368, ENG 399), co-taught by Dr. Gioia Woods, Dr. Donelle Ruwe, and Dr. Nicole Walker with support from Cline Library Special Collections and Archives' Archivist for Discovery Sam(antha) Meier. The collection further contains documentation of the Pandemic Stories Project.
Identification:	NAU.OH.2020.52  NAU.MS.522
Language:	Material in English and Spanish.
Repository:	Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives Northern Arizona University Box 6022 Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6022 Phone: 928 523-5551 Fax: 928 523-3770 Email: special.collections@nau.edu

Historical Note

In March 2020, students, faculty, and staff at Northern Arizona University (NAU) were suddenly forced to shift to remote learning due to the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, commonly referred to as COVID-19. The NAU community finished the Spring 2020 semester virtually.

In response to the ongoing public health crisis, in August 2020, NAU College of Arts and Letters (CAL) professors in the Dr. Gioia Woods (Faculty Senate President and Professor of Comparative Cultural Studies), Dr. Donelle Ruwe (Professor and Chair of the English Department), and Dr. Nicole Walker (Professor of English) co-created The Plague Project Seminar: Plague, Pandemic, and Meaning in the Humanities (HUM 382; ENG 368 ; ENG 399) for the Fall 2020 semester. The interdisciplinary seminar, offered as part of the College of Arts & Letters Common Reading program for Fall 2020, Humanities in Action: The Plague Project, sought to foster humanistic inquiry into pandemics, plagues, and public health crises including the contemporaneous COVID-19 pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS Co-V-2.

All enrolled students were required to read and discuss Albert Camus' 1947 novel The Plague, centered on an outbreak of bubonic plague in Oran, Algeria. HUM 382 students were also required to read Zadie Smith's 2020 Intimations, while ENG 368 and ENG 399 students could choose between science fiction books, novels, plays, and other texts.

The Plague Project Seminar featured guest lectures from other NAU faculty members, health professionals, and others, including Diana Coleman (Lecturer in the Comparative Study of Religion), Alexandra Carpino (Professor of Art History), Rebekah Pratt-Sturges (Lecturer in Public Humanities), KT Thompson (Professor of English), Chris Boyer (Dean of CAL and Professor of History), Paul Dutton (Professor of History), and Bjorn Krondorfer (Professor of the Comparative Study of Religion and Director of the Martin-Springer Institute).

The course also included three events coordinated as part of The Plague Virtual Book Club, supported with funding from the Arizona Humanities Council. These included: a kick-off discussion with Gioia Woods and Julie Piering (Professor of Philosophy); a panel titled "Reading The Plague with Health Professionals" featuring Sandra Smith, MD (Medical Director of NAU Campus Health), Elias Villarreal ( Director, Department of Physician Assistant Studies), Lynda Ransdell (Professor of Health Sciences), Ricky Camplain (researcher and epidemiologist at the Center for Health Equity Research); and a virtual storytelling workshop titled "Making History with COVID-19 Pandemic Stories," featuring Diné (Navajo) storyteller Lorenzo Max (Elder Cultural Advisor with NAU's Native American Cultural Center), Michael Amundson (Professor of History), KNAU reporter Melissa Sevigny; and Archivist for Discovery Sam(antha) Meier. Video recordings of these events are available via the CAL website .

The course culminated in the Pandemic Stories Project, supported by Cline Library's Special Collections and Archives (SCA). After writing short narrative essays describing their own experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, students were asked to conduct remote interviews with another person to learn about their COVID-19 experiences. As a guest lecturer and collaborator with Woods, Ruwe, and Walker, Archivist for Discovery Sam(antha) Meier provided guidance for students as to trauma-informed interviewing, archival best practices, and necessary legal paperwork for contributing oral history interviews to Special Collections and Archives.

The majority of these interviews were created using Zoom, a video conferencing software, to create video-recorded interviews (MP4s). Students were encouraged to use Otter.ai, Zoom's built-in text transcription software, to create preliminary transcripts of their interviews and to edit or condense these transcripts. Due to technological constraints, some interviews were conducted over the phone, using FaceTime (a videotelephonic product developed by Apple Inc. and available on iPhones), or with other recording technologies.

Students submitted their recorded oral history interviews, transcripts, brief summaries or other notes, and accompanying legal paperwork to SCA in late November 2020.

In November 2020, Woods, Ruwe, Walker and Meier submitted a proposal detailing the Pandemic Stories Project for the April 2021 Resilience, Resistance, Renovation, and Rebirth Virtual Conference to be hosted by the Northern Arizona University College of Arts and Letters (CAL), School of Art, School of Music, and Center for Health Equity Research.

Scope and Content

The Pandemic Stories Project oral histories contains oral history interviews conducted by Northern Arizona University (NAU) undergraduate students enrolled in The Plague Project Seminar course in the fall of 2020. The interviews focus on the personal and societal impacts of the global pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus, referred to as SARS CoV-2 and COVID-19, in the year 2020. Interviewees include students' family members and friends, other college students, medical professionals, political leaders, care-workers, and others. Some interviews include transcripts, notes, or short descriptive summaries.

The Pandemic Stories oral histories also contains born-digital textual material created in connection to The Plague Project Seminar course, such as the course syllabus, assignment descriptions, correspondence, flyers, grant application materials for the Arizona Humanities Council, and other materials.

Arrangement

NAU.MS.522 - Manuscripts, 2020 July-November
NAU.OH.2020.52  - Oral history interviews, 2020 September-November

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access to born-digital materials available through the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections. See Digital Material Available note for more information.

Manuscript in the Pandemic Stories Project oral histories have not been processed by Special Collections and Archives staff as of May 2021. These materials are currently unavailable for access and use in research. Please contact Special Collections and Archives for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for Northern Arizona University, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Administrative Information

Digital Materials Available

Oral history interview materials, including born-digital audio recordings (MP3), video recordings (MP4), and text-only transcripts (PDF) from the Pandemic Stories Project oral histories are available through the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections. Select "Colorado Plateau Archives." Use the advanced search menu to search for "Pandemic Stories Project" in the "Collection name" field or to search for the call number "NAU.OH.2020.52 ."

Click here to view all born-digital materials from the Pandemic Stories Project oral histories available through the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

[Title or brief description of item or file.] Pandemic Stories Project oral histories [oral histories], NAU.OH.2020.52 .[ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Northern Arizona University. Cline Library. Flagstaff, Arizona.

[Title or brief description of item or file.] Pandemic Stories Project oral histories [manuscripts], NAU.MS.522.[ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Northern Arizona University. Cline Library. Flagstaff, Arizona.

Acquisition Information

Oral history interviews were donated in fall 2020 by the students who conducted them. Gioia Woods and Donelle Ruwe donated textual materials related to The Plague Project Seminar in December 2020.

Processing Information

Jess Vogelsang and Sam(antha) Meier processed born-digital audio and video recordings from the Pandemic Stories Project oral histories in March-April 2021.

Container List

NAU.OH.2020.52  Oral history interviews, 2020 September - November (43 born-digital video recordings [MP4s], 2 born-digital audio recordings [MP3], 4 stand-alone transcripts [PDF])
	Arrangement
	Samantha Meier organized the Pandemic Stories project oral history interviews chronologically, beginning with the first interview conducted in the fall of 2020.
	Scope & Contents
	The oral history interviews group of the Pandemic Stories Project (NAU.OH.2020.52 ) includes oral history interviews, transcripts, and associated student-created information (transcripts, interview summaries, interview questions, etc.) regarding the oral history interviews conducted by NAU students enrolled in The Plague Project Seminar in the fall of 2020, as part of the Pandemic Stories Project assignments.
	Where available, student-created information summarizing the scope and contents of each oral history interview has been provided. This student-provided information has been edited for clarity. Where students did not provide a summary of their interviews, limited information has been provided by SCA staff.
	Transcripts provided by student interviewers have been provided where available. Many of the transcripts were generated by Otter.ai talk-to-text transcription software and may contain errors.
	Digital Material Available
	Oral history interview materials, including born-digital audio recordings (MP3), video recordings (MP4), and text-only transcripts (PDF) from the Pandemic Stories Project oral histories are available through the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections. Select "Colorado Plateau Archives." Use the advanced search menu to search for "Pandemic Stories Project" in the "Collection name" field or to search for the call number "NAU.OH.2020.52 ."
	Click here to view all born-digital materials from the Pandemic Stories Project oral histories available through the Colorado Plateau Digital Collections.
			Oral history interview with Rebecca Bloch, conducted by Kiara Lewis [transcript only] September 17, 2020
					Oral history interview with Rebecca Bloch, conducted by Kiara Lewis [transcript only], September 17, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kiara Lewis, a college student in her third year at Northern Arizona University (NAU) interviewed Rebecca Bloch, a second year student at El Camino Community College student who lives in Redondo Beach, California. Lewis asked Bloch when she learned about the coronavirus, how she initially reacted to the virus, when she started taking action during the pandemic, her reactions to quarantine, how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her life, the projects she started during quarantine, how she protected her mental health, how her family has coped with the pandemic, what long-term effects she thinks the COVID-19 pandemic will have, and her hopes for the future.
			Oral history interview with Coral Evans, conducted by Clayton Nocella September 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Coral Evans, conducted by Clayton Nocella, September 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Clayton Nocella interviewed City of Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans. Mayor Evans was one of the first mayors in the state of Arizona to impose COVID-19 related precautions, declaring a state of emergency for the city on March 15, 2020. In several instances, Evans enacted local responses to the COVID-19 pandemic which went beyond the actions taken by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey or contradicted the governor's positions on what localities were permitted to do in response to COVID-19. On March 16, Evans announced a proclamation closing a number of businesses and establishments in Flagstaff to members of the public effective the following day; this proclamation was extended on March 26. On June 18, Evans issued a proclamation requiring face coverings in public places where social distancing was not possible, effective June 20, 2020. Throughout the pandemic, Evans continued her political campaign for the Arizona House of Representatives to represent Legislative District 6 (LD6). Mayor Evan's tenure as Mayor of the City of Flagstaff ended in November 2020, shortly after she lost her race for the House seat.
			Oral history interview with Laura Haller, conducted by Lucas McNutt [with transcript] September 27, 2020
					Oral history interview with Laura Haller, conducted by Lucas McNutt [with transcript], September 27, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Lucas McNutt (from Tumacacori, Arizona, USA) interviewed Laura Haller (from Hanover, Germany) via Zoom. Discussed topics included their time together studying at Örebro Universitet in Sweden, the general feeling before COVID-19 struck, reactions when the coronavirus pandemic finally reached Europe, struggles in trying to leave as the situation worsened, Lufthansa rescue flights to Germany, emotions during the isolation period after leaving Sweden, Laura's COVID infection while in quarantine, super spreaders, how Germany is dealing with the pandemic at present, American and German anti-maskers, and the politicization of this healthcare crisis.
			Oral history interview with Eddie Case, conducted by Leah Atlee [with transcript] October 1, 2020
					Oral history interview with Eddie Case, conducted by Leah Atlee [with transcript], October 1, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Leah Atlee interviewed long-time friend and former coworker Eddie Case about his experience getting COVID-19, and almost dying multiple times from it. Eddie is about 40 and in good health, yet COVID affected him extremely badly both physically and mentally. Leah chose to interview Eddie as he was the only person Leah personally knew who has survived (symptomatic) COVID this year (2020). His illness happened during the initial shut down and panic around the US, while cases were exponentially rising every day. While he was in a medically induced coma for about a month, his wife was posting daily, or sometimes hourly updates on Facebook and Instagram, so for a while Leah knew more about what was going on with him than he did, until he started to recover mentally from intubation, hallucinations, and the coma itself. Although, he has been lucky with good insurance and medical care, as a white-middle class person, and Leah wanted to recognize some of those privileges through this experience. Eddie has been interviewed on lots of news programs and radio shows, even Anderson Cooper (which he thought was super cool) about his experience and trauma, to help people understand the severity of this illness and how much we really don't know about it.
			Oral history interview with Amy Randall-Barber, conducted by Kaelin Randall [with transcript] October 9, 2020
					Oral history interview with Amy Randall-Barber, conducted by Kaelin Randall [with transcript], October 9, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kaelin Randall interviewed Amy Randall-Barber. Amy is Kaelin's mother and an event coordinator at the University of Arizona in the BIO5 Institute. In addition to creating and promoting events, Amy also gives tours of the facility and the research labs, under normal circumstances. She has had many opportunities to meet people of influence, that are very smart people, working on the world's problems like hunger and deadly viruses, including this one. One doctor in particular that she has had the chance to talk to, created the antibody testing for COVID-19 and had be vital to the creation of its vaccine. Obviously with the pandemic, Amy has been working at home, but used it as an opportunity to be more creative, and not feel so rushed to develop new ideas for future events. With this, there has been a lot of anticipation to when the next event is going to occur, but there is also a lot of animosity to the return of large group events. During the interview, Kaelin asked Amy if the school, as well as her direct supervisor, were being transparent about funding and their plan for getting everything back on track. Amy shared that the president of the University of Arizona was being very clear about stuff going on within the school and different departments, by hosting a podcast twice a week to share information with the students and faculty. However, from her direct leadership, there hasn't been as much communication in regards to the plan of action moving forward, or even how many employees they had to let go. Amy considered herself lucky that during this time she has been able to spend more time with her family and taking care of herself. Amy also commented on how people need to listen to what the doctor and scientists have to say regarding this illness rather than the news and politicians because it could end up saving our lives.
			Oral history interview with Chloe and Miles Hale, conducted by Summer Hale [with transcript] October 9, 2020
					Oral history interview with Chloe and Miles Hale, conducted by Summer Hale [with transcript], October 9, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Summer Hale interviewed Chloe Hale (age nine) and Miles Hale (age seven) separately. Chloe and Miles are Summer's half-siblings. They reside in Tucson and Summer resides in Flagstaff. During this interview, the interviewees were asked about their experiences with attending classes from Harelson Elementary School online, as both children are attending classes entirely remotely. Chloe and Miles were interviewed to see the experiences that elementary school age children have while taking classes remotely through Zoom. They both attend classes remotely because one of them is in a high-risk group if they were to contract COVID-19. Chloe talked about the ways that she sometimes gets distracted from her Zoom classes by Miles or even her two dogs. She becomes most frustrated when technology "glitches" and she is unable to hear her teacher or see what they are trying to show (ex. screen sharing). Chloe also talks about what subjects she's learning and what subjects she thinks are lacking, as well as the way she thinks she isn't learning as much and isn't doing as well on her assessments. She has taken up cooking and reads more than before in her free time. Her goals are to have better punctuality and learn some music on the cello, which she has recently started playing as a part of her school's orchestra. Miles attends his first grade classes online as well and says that he mostly learns math, reading, and phonics. He spends his free time reading and playing video games. Miles ultimately decided to end the interview early, and instead just wanted to chat instead of answering questions.
			Oral history interview with Jenny Miles, conducted by Vanessa Boyer [with transcript] October 9, 2020
					Oral history interview with Jenny Miles, conducted by Vanessa Boyer [with transcript], October 9, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Vanessa Boyer interviewed Jenny Miles, Vanessa's aunt and a nurse practitioner who has had COVID before. Most of the topics focused on Jenny's experiences as being a nurse and her scientific perspective on the disease and her observations on how it presented itself. Unlike popular belief, the hospital Jenny worked at behaved similarly to other businesses in the sense that schedules were changed, measures were taken in preparation and changes were made to deal with the pandemic. Vanessa found that Jenny as a nurse found out about the state of COVID in the United States the same time as Vanessa, a college student, found out. Jenny's attitude toward the pandemic is much calmer and more methodical, no doubt springing from her extended exposure to it and the realities of the pandemic. Unlike many quarantining, her work took up most of her time and energy, so there were no stories of being bored or picking up new hobbies in the pandemic. She still expressed a desire to travel (and future plans toward it) which shows a return to normalcy. Her largest advice is to listen to the science and don't be afraid of not knowing the answers.
			Oral history interview with Tanisha [?], conducted by Nayalaa Soni [with transcript] October 10, 2020
					Oral history interview with Tanisha [?], conducted by Nayalaa Soni [with transcript], October 10, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Nayalaa Soni interviewed Tanisha. During the interview, Nayalaa felt it was not only Nayalaa who was not happy with the kind of suffering people had to go through with COVID-19 but it was also a sense of selfishness that took birth. When coronavirus started to spread at its peak in the United States, things changed. People started stockpiling things just for themselves and their family, not thinking about others, but when Nayalaa was talking to Tanisha, Tanisha shared that it is not wrong that they start piling up since at the end of the day a person would do anything to make his family survive and live a proper life. The interview also discussed how mental health swept in without even us knowing about it, the sense of loneliness and depression was something everyone had to deal with, mostly for those students who had to stay at their places and not going back home, especially international students, who could not go back home since first of all the coronavirus and second one never knows about the flights and visa would not be an issue.
			Oral history interview with Abbey Johnson, conducted by Kaitlyn Gill [with transcript] October 11, 2020
					Oral history interview with Abbey Johnson, conducted by Kaitlyn Gill [with transcript], October 11, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kaitlyn Gill interviewed Abbey Johnson about her experience with the coronavirus over Zoom on October 11, 2020. Abbey is a friend of Kaitlyn's and a former student at Northern Arizona University, who graduated in May of 2019. At this point in time, Abbey is living abroad in New Zealand to do Christian ministry and to be on full time staff with a Christian organization called The Navigators. As a staff member of The Navigators, she meets with college students to talk about Jesus with them. Kaitlyn chose to interview Abbey because Abbey's experience with the coronavirus in New Zealand has been much different than many people's in the United States. At this point in time (fall 2020), the coronavirus is not much of a threat in New Zealand and they basically live normal lives, but with knowledge that the virus still exists. They handled the pandemic much quicker than the United States by going into lockdown by March of 2020, in hopes of slowing down the spread. Currently, there is only one place in New Zealand that even has cases anymore. This is a big difference from the United States, where the coronavirus is still very prevalent all over the country and people are still taking measures to prevent the spread. In the interview, Kaitlyn asks Abbey basic questions about what the coronavirus was like in New Zealand and how it was handled. Later in the interview, Kaitlyn asks more personal questions like what it was like for Abbey emotionally to be in quarantine and how it affected her spiritual life. Since Abbey is doing ministry abroad, she has had quite an interesting experience learning how to talk about Jesus over a computer and still trying to keep up with her faith. She also explains what her day-to-day life was like while she was in quarantine for so long. Later in the interview, Abbey talks about the political side of the coronavirus by discussing the differences between values in the United States and values in New Zealand.
			Oral history interview with Jennifer Gregory, conducted by Kayla Golonka [with transcript] October 11, 2020
					Oral history interview with Jennifer Gregory, conducted by Kayla Golonka [with transcript], October 11, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kayla Golonka interviewed Jennifer Gregory, who works as Chandler Regional Medical Center in Chandler, Arizona as a Discharge Planner. Jennifer is Kayla's aunt. The interview took place over the phone at Golonka's Flagstaff apartment and Gregory's home in Gilbert on October 11, 2020. Golonka's interview with Gregory focused on her experiences as an essential front-lines health worker. Golonka asked about Gregory's role at the Chandler Regional Medical Center, her daily routine at work pre and post COVID-19, when she learned about the coronavirus and how she felt about it, how her supervisors handled the pandemic, how her work has changed during the pandemic, her experience during the national stay-at-home order, and her thoughts on the long-term impacts of the pandemic on health care workers or as a whole.
			Oral history interview with Donna Carlson, conducted by Lauryn Carlson [with transcript] October 11, 2020
					Oral history interview with Donna Carlson, conducted by Lauryn Carlson [with transcript], October 11, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Lauryn Carlson interviewed Donna S. Carlson. Donna is currently an ICU nurse. She has been a nurse for about twelve years and has experienced many medical epidemics, but nothing such like COVID-19. Donna is Lauryn's mother which made the interview much easier to conduct. Being so far away from home during the pandemic has been hard. Since Lauryn was home during the start and the height of the pandemic, it was much more comforting to have a resource that was more well-rounded in the medical field.
					This interview was conducted in order to collect a better idea of what the pandemic was like in a hospital from an intensive care nurse's perspective. The interview questions asked were able to establish a foundation of what it was like to transition from normal life to a pandemic life. The questions looked at the change from a nurse, a wife, a mother, and a student in school to become a family nurse practitioner. As someone with so many different perspectives, it was easy to figure out what type of nurse Donna is. The questions asked about her personal experiences and Donna displayed sympathy and genuine concern for her patients and her patient's families.
			Oral history interview with Mark George, conducted by Rose Carrasco [with transcript] October 11, 2020
					Oral history interview with Mark George, conducted by Rose Carrasco [with transcript], October 11, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					The interview was between Rose Carrasco and Mark George. Carrasco was the interviewer. Carrasco asked questions about the changes surrounding George's job and life due to the ongoing global pandemic (coronavirus). George was the subject of the interview. He is a senior director at Silicon Valley Bank, specifically dealing with their financial crime's division. As someone with a high position in the company, he was able to answer questions regarding the changes the company implemented due to the coronavirus, how said changes were affecting the workers, and what changes have been good or bad for the company.
					George detailed the procedures put in place by Silicon Valley Bank to help their employees navigate the complexities of working from home. He explained that the company ordered office equipment for its employees to be able to have a dual monitor set up at home. He spoke about the new flexibility of work hours to help adjust to the needs of families in regard to internet bandwidth. He spoke at length about the changes in company culture and the steps that Silicon Valley Bank took to help keep interdepartmental interaction alive during this time.
					In addition to fielding questions related to his job and the pandemic's effects on that, George answered questions about how the pandemic changed his personal life. He spoke about the changes to his personal routine. He talked briefly about the care he and his friends are taking to ensure their health before they see each other. He talked about the things he wants to do after the pandemic is over and commented on how he hopes for this to be an experience of learning from others.
					George did all of this over a zoom call from his home in Goodyear, Arizona on October 11, 2020. He agreed to be interviewed so as to help preserve the different viewpoints of all walks of life during this historic time. He said that it was important to see things from different perspectives and appreciated what the class (Pandemic Stories Project) that the interview was for, was trying to do.
			Oral history interview with Madeline Snyder, conducted by Hanna Northroup [with transcript] October 12, 2020
					Oral history interview with Madeline Snyder, conducted by Hanna Northroup [with transcript], October 12, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Hanna Northroup interviewed Madeline Snyder, a junior at Northern Arizona University (NAU). Madeline discussed her experience coming into contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 while studying abroad, and her subsequent quarantine period during which she was tested for COVID-19. After she tested positive, the entire building had quarantine as well. Madeline also discussed being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance during this period for a sinus infection which required antibiotics.
			Oral history interview with Julianna Piechowicz, conducted by Tiana Paras [with transcript] October 12, 2020
					Oral history interview with Julianna Piechowicz, conducted by Tiana Paras [with transcript], October 12, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					This interview took place on October 12, 2020. Tiana Paras interviewed Julianna Piechowicz, a friend of Tiana's from high school who currently attends school at Arizona State University. Tiana decided to interview Juliana because Tiana noticed that Juliana had a particularly difficult time living through the pandemic as she was stuck in her home in Queen Creek, while most, if not all, of her friends lived out of state. Through it all, her and her family were forced to move out of their home mid-pandemic and ended up leasing a one-bedroom apartment for her, her mom, stepdad, and her dog. Tiana thought Juliana's story was one to be told because she is one of the very few people Tiana knew who abided by quarantine laws as she only left her home when necessary. Tiana was home in New Mexico and wanting so badly for Juliana to join and come home because Tiana knew that Juliana was homesick. However, like many people realized during their pandemic experiences, she figured out that there is only so much family one can take in a certain amount of time, and for her it was a continuous period of six months without outside contact. At the time, Tiana had started a job with Instacart, an app similar to DoorDash or GrubHub, but with grocery delivery. Tiana noticed that the job kept Tiana out of the house for a significant amount of time and the money wasn't too bad either, so Tiana recommended Juliana try it. Within a couple days, Julianna and Tiana were shopping with Instacart, almost forgetting there was a pandemic going on around us, as it was a very efficient way to get our minds off of the current state of the country. Of course, everyone was wearing masks all the time, but Tiana believes working through Instacart made Julianna and Tiana feel like they had purpose throughout the pandemic and it proved to them that they can be useful even in a time like this.
			Oral history interview with Taylor Nelson, conducted by Danera Wendling [with transcript] October 13, 2020
					Oral history interview with Taylor Nelson, conducted by Danera Wendling [with transcript], October 13, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Danera Wendling interviewed Taylor Nelson, a friend of Danera's. In this interview, Danera asked Taylor about her feelings toward the pandemic, how she has been affected by the virus, what she has noticed throughout this time period, and other engaging questions. Having recently started student teaching, Taylor, 22, has been met with many challenges, such as having to instruct nine-year-olds for the first time over Zoom. Taylor mentioned that when she first heard the news of COVID-19, she was sitting in one of her college classes the last semester of her senior year at NAU. She was met with confusion, stress, and disappointment as her plans for spring break, final moments of her senior year, and future career quickly changed. In addition to this, she shares her observations of society and how COVID has hit/impacted her friends and family. Growing up, Taylor's brother has always had a compromised immune system, which would cause frustration and fear in any family. In addition to this, her mother has been in the hospital for other medical reasons. However, when asked why she thought none of her family members have actually caught this virus, Taylor mentions that they are wearing masks and sanitizing, but also building up their immune systems by continuing on with life, rather than sheltering themselves. Thankfully, her family has not been hit by this pandemic, but not everyone is as lucky. While talking, Taylor shared her observations when friends got sick, how their symptoms differed, and touched on what they did to overcome it. Getting more political and scientific, Danera asked for Taylor's opinions on what should be done to overcome COVID, if and why she believes that this pandemic has been politicized, how she feels about the upcoming vaccine, and also touched on the theory that the case numbers are rigged. Throughout all of the confusion and hard times, Taylor has been able to find some positive outcomes and silver linings. She has been talking to more family members, focusing on her diet, and getting closer to her faith.
			Oral history interview with Eman Bahloul, conducted by Jordan Bumguardner [with transcript] October 13, 2020
					Oral history interview with Eman Bahloul, conducted by Jordan Bumguardner [with transcript], October 13, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Jordan Bumguardner interviewed Eman Bahloul, a recent refugee from Egypt, who Jordan met when they attended the same film school. In addition to her outsider viewpoint, Eman also works at Amazon, which provides her a unique subject to speak about regarding how Amazon has ballooned their profits since the beginning of quarantine. Before the interview Jordan and Eman met in person and had a socially distanced pizza lunch so that they could remember their friendship and it would play better over the distance of the Zoom call. Jordan and Eman became good friends when Eman was asking for help on Facebook and Jordan was the only one who responded. Eman was having a very difficult time in America because as she described it, Americans aren't very friendly or inclusive, which is a point on which Jordan agreed, and which was in fact the reason Jordan reached out, because Jordan knew it couldn't be easy for a person in Eman's position to be in trouble in a strange place. Jordan and Eman ended up becoming good friends and had a class together where Jordan helped Eman with a film she wrote. Jordan helped to light it, and then helped Eman edit it when her previous editor was unreliable, and dropped out of the project. Jordan and Eman talked about Eman's host family, and how she was worried coming back from work a Amazon and about getting them sick. They also talked about how Japan chose to deal with the virus, anti-mask denialism, and wondered mow much longer this virus would be terrorizing every person in the nation with any sense in their head.
			Oral history interview with Allison Yurk, conducted by Megan Yurk [with transcript] October 14, 2020
					Oral history interview with Allison Yurk, conducted by Megan Yurk [with transcript], October 14, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Megan Yurk interviewed Allison Yurk. Allison is Megan's older sister. Allison lives in Southern California near the Los Angeles area. Megan chose to interview Allison since she lives in a different state and even visited Megan in Arizona for a brief moment during the beginning of the pandemic. Allison shared multiple stories about her unique experience as a newly working adult during a pandemic and her living situation with a family who took it very seriously and had a child. She lived with their aunt, their aunt's husband, and their 7 year old daughter in California during part of the pandemic and later moved into an apartment with her college friend. Allison told Megan how she thought of the pandemic before it was declared a pandemic, how she adjusted with her work life, hobbies she took up in quarantine, and the ways she has simply adapted to these times. Her stories include the moment she was told to go home during the workday and how they would return "in 14 days", her experience grocery shopping, and how her social life has changed drastically. The interview provided a glimpse into Allison's emotions through this time period, from the beginning of the year to October 2020, the present. The unknown aspects of a new disease sweeping across the country and affected her loved ones, the trust they placed in her, and the social pressures of visiting a state with a completely different outlook on the situation. Allison also brought up the few good things that came from this time, her change into a better job, learning who were her closest friends, and realizing how fleeting each moment of true freedom is.
			Oral history interview with Megan Pitcher, conducted by Kathleen Ratz [with transcript] October 15, 2020
					Oral history interview with Megan Pitcher, conducted by Kathleen Ratz [with transcript], October 15, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kathleen (Katie) Ratz interviewed Megan Spencer, who is a friend that Kathleen knew from their first few years of high school when Kathleen lived in Washington State. Megan and Katie were best friends at the time, and Megan is currently attending school in Utah with her husband, while Kathleen is in Arizona. They have not seen one another in person for about three and a half to four years now. The two speak regularly through text and other forms of communication outside of this interview process, and are generally aware of the day to day goings on in each others lives.
					Megan and Kathleen primarily spoke about personal feelings regarding the virus, and how it has impacted Megan's normal social dynamics, as well as her feelings about her own health and community. It was with this in mind that Kathleen was hoping to use her experiences to draw and note the contrast between Utah and Arizona, which are two adjacent states that have had different responses to the virus.
					Kathleen did also briefly see and greet Megan's husband Patrick, who was off screen but around while the interview was being conducted. While Kathleen did not speak to him directly, and did not ask him questions, his existence and presence was important to discuss with Megan, given that the two of them are married, and have suddenly been placed in a much different position than they were a year ago.
			Oral history interview with Kelly Turner, conducted by Vanessa Boyer [with transcript] October 15, 2020
					Oral history interview with Kelly Turner, conducted by Vanessa Boyer [with transcript], October 15, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Vanessa Boyer interviewed Kelly Turner on October 15, 2020 at 7:00 pm over Zoom. Kelly Turner is Vanessa's aunt and a retail worker in a perfume boutique (Creed) in Beverly Hills, California. Though Kelly never contracted COVID, she was present during the Los Angeles riots and offered interesting insight about them being that it was less actual protesters and more white supremacist looters. She saw the effects of COVID on one of the busiest shopping areas in the country and how the high-end stores dealt with COVID and the safety measures they implemented. In her own work, Kelly explained how they had to change business practices in order to follow safety guidelines for both the workers and the customers. Kelly offered insights on how living in LA, California was not much different than Vanessa's experiences in Phoenix, Arizona, signaling that the West Coast had people with similar experiences with others around here. The largest difference during this pandemic in her experience was not the pandemic itself but the fact that she was in the epicenter of the riots brought about during the pandemic. Though not fully apart of COVID itself, these riots did affect her during her quarantining and work life—pushing her business to prolong work for longer.
			Oral history interview with Gary Stefan, conducted by TeresaJean Herleth [with transcript] October 16, 2020
					Oral history interview with Gary Stefan, conducted by TeresaJean Herleth [with transcript], October 16, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					TeresaJean Herleth interviewed Gary Stefan, who owns a small business where he goes into his customer's homes and assembles IKEA furniture, as well as delivers IKEA furniture from Phoenix to surrounding cities. Gary also does short term trading on the stock market. In this interview, Gary is asked questions regarding his small business, the stock market's reaction to the pandemic, the politicization of COVID-19 and his experiences with customers who may share different views of the illness.
					When asked to describe COVID-19, Gary described it as a virus similar to the likes of the flu, but more contagious and more difficult to deal with. He believes the virus started in China, but concluded that we will never know how COVID-19 got into the human population. Gary also believes that President Trump is handling the pandemic quite well, and indicates that he doesn't believe any other president in past years would have shut down travel nearly as quickly as President Trump. He comments on how restricting travel too much would harm American's freedoms and constitutional rights. When asked about what he made of President Trump contracting COVID-19, Gary commented on how contagious the virus is. He also stated that President Trump did not downplay how difficult it is to deal with the virus, and blamed the media for that idea.
					In his own personal life, Gary is disappointed in not being able to see family and friends, as well as not being able to travel. However, unlike most businesses, Gary's business did remarkably well during the pandemic as did his trading, which he attributes partially to the quarantine and restrictions on travel. The only difficulty the pandemic placed on his business was the fact that IKEA closed for several weeks, but he viewed that as something that contributed to increasing demand for his business. When asked about his clients, Gary discussed how three of his clients came down with COVID-19 and compared all three. Two of his clients had severe symptoms, increased by preexisting conditions, the other just described it as a bad flu. He also commented on how half of his clients want him to wear a mask when installing kitchens, while the rest don't. As far as his stocks go, Gary believes that the stock market has come back faster than the economy, which he attributes to America having a strong economy overall.
			Oral history interview with Jamie Louderback, conducted by Robin Applegate [with transcript] October 16, 2020
					Oral history interview with Jamie Louderback, conducted by Robin Applegate [with transcript], October 16, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Robin Applegate (Flagstaff, AZ), interviewed Jamie Louderback (Sedona, AZ) over Zoom on October 16, 2020. Robin and Jamie are both trans women, and the interview focuses on Jamie's experience of transitioning during a pandemic. Jamie started hormone replacement therapy shortly after moving from Japan back to the United States, and just before the COVID-19 pandemic began in the US. She discusses how the pandemic has affected her negatively by impacting her search for employment, and by forcing her to spend more time with her transphobic parents. She also discusses how in some ways, the pandemic has affected her positively as well, such as being more likely to be gendered female while wearing a mask. Other topics discussed include access to hormone replacement therapy in Japan, and how Jamie has found community with other transgender people both before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
			Oral history interview with Patrick Elshekh, conducted by Veronica Garcia [with transcript] October 16, 2020
					Oral history interview with Patrick Elshekh, conducted by Veronica Garcia [with transcript], October 16, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Veronica Garcia, a sophomore at Northern Arizona University (NAU) as of Fall 2020, interviewed Patrick Elshekh. Patrick is Veronica's classmate and good friend. Patrick is currently studying at NAU as an exercise science major after transferring from a community college.
					After introductions, Veronica and Patrick talked about his experience with COVID-19, describing the symptoms as a cold, not being able to breathe well, having fever dreams, being dizzy, and a particular moment where he felt as if he was going to die. He also included the symptoms of his family, and how they were recovering, stating that he believed he was better off than his parents because he was young and healthy. The only time where he thought that he possibly could not make it was the beginning of his symptoms, saying later it was bearable. Because he was attending school in that same period of time, being online, Veronica asked how he managed to go through that and still do school. He responded with he just had to push through it as he did not think teachers would do much to help him anyway. It was also a struggle to even concentrate and have the will to complete exams as his body hurt. Saying he just suffered along the way. Taking care of themselves became a challenge, and the food they had was just enough to last. After Patrick and his family were in the clear, they would go out for groceries but with precautions.
					Asking for his opinion on those who do not believe the science aspect of the Coronavirus, he strictly stated they need to show proof of relevance and was almost aggravated by the misinformed statements made of the situation. He strongly advises the use of masks and the procedures to protect themselves and others from the virus.
			Oral history interview with Shelby Link, conducted by Taylor Ervin [with transcript] October 16, 2020
					Oral history interview with Shelby Link, conducted by Taylor Ervin [with transcript], October 16, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Taylor Ervin interviewed Shelby Link from Clarkdale, Arizona which is about an hour and a half away from Flagstaff, Arizona via zoom on October 16, 2020 at about 4:15pm. Taylor asked Shelby a series of questions regarding her life and how it was affected by the coronavirus. Taylor's questions were about Shelby's basic information like age and location. Shelby is 16 years old and is currently a senior at Mingus Union High School just trying to get through her last year of high school. The next set of questions were regarding her schooling and how that was affected. Taylor also asked Shelby questions about her job and whether or not they closed due to the virus. Finally, Taylor asked Shelby overall questions like a vivid memory about something she did during quarantine. She answered to the best of her ability given that everything started over six months ago. Shelby is sixteen years old and is currently a senior at Mingus Union High School just trying to get through her last year of high school. She is also captain of her Volleyball team, plus many more clubs and after school programs including, but not limited to National Honors Society and Link Crew which have been difficult to do just because of the new processes and procedures. The purpose of the interview was to gain as much knowledge about her as possible and the experience she had being a young woman in such a weird time. However, even with such a difficult time, Shelby seems to have adapted well by gaining the hobby of painting and engaging in family dinners with her whole family, which she has not gotten to do in a long time because she has two older brothers who both go to colleges in different cities.
			Oral history interview with Anthony Tantimonaco, conducted by Jordan Marquette October 17, 2020
					Oral history interview with Anthony Tantimonaco, conducted by Jordan Marquette, October 17, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Jordan Marquette interviewed Anthony Tantimonaco. Jordan chose to interview Anthony because of his perspective of the pandemic as a retail worker, but also because Jordan and Anthony experienced the early stages of COVID in different parts of the country (Seattle, Washington and Flagstaff, Arizona respectively). Jordan conducted the interview to gain a better understanding of what working during COVID was like for someone in a state with much more lax regulations for re-opening. Anthony described it as essentially working on Black Friday or some major shopping holiday, but for everyday household items. People would line up in the early morning to make sure they had toilet paper and hand sanitizer and be gone by the later afternoon. Jordan asked Anthony about his possible experience with COVID and his description matched that of other well-known cases, tight feeling in chest, difficulty breathing, worse at night than during the day etc. Anthony then went on to talk about his social interactions and how he must be careful about where and who her hangs out with. Even though his test was negative, he did express fear for his health when he was at the mercy of symptoms. The general belief that 2020 has been one bad event after another and Anthony shared this belief. He could not find an instance of positivity and essentially looked at each day as a repeating sequence of events. He would get up, go to work, work his shift, come home, and go to sleep. Sometimes he would hang out with friends in carefully analyzed social settings. COVID created a sense of repeating and similar days, paired with a looming presence of "When will this end?". The interview with Anthony was conducted over zoom video call, and he asked not to have his face shown in the video for privacy reasons. The pandemic socially began for Jordan in Seattle in the middle of March, while Anthony in Arizona would not go into lockdown until weeks later, while also ending their lockdown early as well.
			Oral history interview with Nick and Abbi Gilliland, conducted by Emilie Williams [with transcript] October 17, 2020
					Oral history interview with Nick and Abbi Gilliland, conducted by Emilie Williams [with transcript], October 17, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Emilie Williams interviewed Abbi Gilliland and her husband Nick Gilliland, both health professionals. Abbie is Emilie's cousin. Abbi specializes in pediatric nursing/medicine and Nick specializes in adult medicine and works in the ICU/Emergency Unit. Emilie decided to get their perspective on the pandemic because they are both healthcare professionals and they ended up moving from one side of the country (Phoenix, AZ) to the other (Connecticut) amid the pandemic for work. Emilie resides in Flagstaff, AZ, and Nick and Abbi Gilliland reside in New Haven, Connecticut.
			Oral history interview with Ruby Selvage, conducted by Savannah Jones [with transcript] October 17, 2020
					Oral history interview with Ruby Selvage, conducted by Savannah Jones [with transcript], October 17, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Savannah Jones interviewed Ruby Anne Selvage. Ruby is Savannah's coworker and friend and a Resident Assistant in McConnell Hall at Northern Arizona University. Ruby worked last year as an RA in Gabaldon Hall and was considered an essential worker by the university at the time. Therefore, she stayed and worked even after quarantine started and people left campus. When the school year ended in May and RA's were released and the dorms closed for summer, Savannah went home and quarantined with family; whereas Ruby choose to stay in Flagstaff and work as a summer housing assistant. Since Ruby was up in Flagstaff for most of the summer that also meant she had to quarantine at the university. For Ruby, as Savannah discovered in the interview, she actually enjoyed being at Northern Arizona university for quarantine. She liked being able to work as it kept her from getting bored and occupied most of her time. Ruby also feels very fortunate for the fact that she got to live with her friends at that time, which gave her a different an experience than most in quarantine as some people lived with family or alone. Savannah chose to interview Ruby for this because Savannah thought that Ruby could provide the perspective of someone who had to work during the pandemic and quarantine. She is also from New Mexico therefore when state lines started to close Ruby choose to stay in Arizona with no family in order to work instead. However, Ruby doesn't see that as a bad thing though as working was able to give her something that made her feel useful and productive. Both Savannah and Ruby worked as RAs during the pandemic.
			Oral history interview with Sarah Alarcio, conducted by Elijah Macaranas [with transcript] October 17, 2020
					Oral history interview with Sarah Alarcio, conducted by Elijah Macaranas [with transcript], October 17, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Elijah Macaranas interviewed Sarah Alarcio. Sarah is Elijah's girlfriend. Elijah wanted to know more about how their relationship worked out during the pandemic, satisfying Elijah's curiosity about her perspective and thought process during the pandemic and how is it affecting their relationship. The interview took place in Sarah's mom's privately owned clinic over at Mesa, Arizona on the 17th of October 2020 at 3:35p.m. when Elijah finally had the chance of seeing Sarah personally for the first time for almost two months. Elijah asked how the current virus, COVID-19, was shaping their relationship. Sarah stated that it was basically harder for her, because both Elijah and Sarah rely a lot on being able feel each other's presence within a physical proximity. Elijah then asked about Sarah's concerns regarding their relationship during the pandemic and what actions she was taking to combat said concerns. Sarah answered that she's grateful that they started talking almost every day, something that she and Elijah did not do starting off when the pandemic worsened. She also mentioned the importance of being transparent concerning their feelings because it is the pandemic and being transparent with the ongoing distance is difficult. Elijah then asked Sarah if there was anything she wanted him to pay more attention to concerning Sarah in a time of separation. Being away from each other and not being able to gauge each other's appearance or feelings is difficult so Sarah said that she wants Elijah to choose his words carefully more because it's easier to misinterpret what is being said versus when you are talking in person. Elijah asked Sarah about what else she wanted to do in a long-distance relationship, before concluding with an open-ended question consisting of what she generally thinks of their relationship and the pandemic, ultimately answering with such curiosity and great interest because what caught her attention is how the pandemic either breaks the relationship apart, or brings them closer together, sensing how important one person is to the other.
			Oral history interview with Christina Schwake, conducted by Holly Schwake [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Christina Schwake, conducted by Holly Schwake [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Holly Schwake interviewed Christina Schwake. Christina is Holly's younger sister. They interviewed through zoom so as to allow for a transcript of the conversation after the interview was over. Holly conducted the interview from a dormitory room in Flagstaff, Arizona. Christina similarly interviewed from her dormitory room in San Luis Obispo, California. Holly chose to interview Christina because Holly believed that Christina would have an interesting perspective on the pandemic since she was a senior in high school when the quarantine began, and is currently a university freshman at Cal Poly. Holly was particularly interested in learning about Christina's experiences in college, because Holly felt that it would make for a good comparison to Holly's own university experience during the pandemic. Their interview covered the start of the pandemic – focused on Christina's high school experience and what she missed out doing in her senior year – during the pandemic – focused on what she did during quarantine – and their present situation – focused on her current experiences in college. Since the current situation in college is the freshest in their memories, and is the part of the conversation which Holly did not have previous knowledge on (for the most part), it is this section which took up most of the discussion. They also discussed in detail the efforts made to compensate the graduating class of 2020 and what Christina's feelings are towards these efforts. To conclude, they discussed what has changed as a result of the pandemic.
			Oral history interview with Claire Gannon, conducted by Colin Bailey [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Claire Gannon, conducted by Colin Bailey [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Colin Bailey interviewed Claire Gannon. Claire is Colin's partner. Colin wanted Claire to explain her perspective as an eternal pessimist while Colin, the eternal optimist, was the contrast. Colin wanted to show how opposites react to the same thing while showing perhaps a reliance on the others nature to sustain their own. Colin began the interview with Claire's conception as a child in relation to her current conception of pandemics. This was to highlight how out of mind pandemics are until they suddenly appear. Colin then asked Claire, the facts in a situation, like how long she's been in self induced lockdown. Claire and Colin have been quite serious, only going to grocery stores and outdoor hikes and they have both handled it mentally differently. After that Colin asked Claire what she learned about herself and about her hopes and what her life was like before the pandemic in relation to now. Before the pandemic Claire was in line to get a permanent teaching position at a charter school that was within walking distance in Austin Texas, and now she lives in a completely different city with a new four year plan. Colin then finished by asking Claire about society and politics in relation to the pandemic. There is a deep sense of despair due to family members and friends ignoring the virus and overall contributing to the continuance of the virus. This feeling of sadness is only amplified by current politicians aiding that ignorance which enables continued existence in America.
			Oral history interview with Bridgitte Baxter, conducted by Donette Baxter [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Bridgitte Baxter, conducted by Donette Baxter [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope and Contents
					Donette Baxter interviewed Bridgitte Baxter on October 18, 2020. Bridgitte is Donette's sister. Bridgitte is 27 years old and a single mother and a student at the University of Arizona. She also works as an intern with Tucson Electric Power. Donette and Bridgitte live in the same household and are both students but have had drastically different experiences with their universities and their jobs during the pandemic. Bridgitte describes her employers quick and proactive response to the pandemic and their empathy and awareness to damage caused by protests in their city. She explains how this has been in great contrast to her university's somewhat lacking response to COVID plans that have left many students uncertain and concerned about the university's wanton attitude toward student health and safety. She muses on how the pandemic has affected her shopping habits, but also on how impressively quick some essential businesses were able to adapt but finds much to be done with regards to the conditions for frontline workers and the essential workers that allowed the businesses to adapt so quickly. Bridgitte explains why she still felt there are reasons to be hopeful and ends by admitting that there are things she will take with her after the pandemic ends, noting that silver linings can be found in appreciating the small things.
			Oral history interview with Darian Lorrain, conducted by Chloe Dunnigan [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Darian Lorrain, conducted by Chloe Dunnigan [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Chloe Dunnigan interviewed Darian Lorrain, Chloe's roommate and friend, on her experience with the COVID crisis. Chloe thought this interview would provide some perspective because, to the outside eye, Darian and Chloe have had very similar experiences with COVID. Both were both set to study abroad during the entire 2020-2021 academic school year, and Chloe and Darian are both seniors at NAU. As roommates, they had to navigate housing uncertainty together this summer as they tried to figure out whether they would go abroad, or even attend class in-person in Flagstaff. Still living together, Chloe and Darian have adjusted to social distancing measures together, and negotiated their levels of caution with regards to their own and their family's safety. Chloe was specifically interested in the personal nature of the experience that may have differed between herself and Darian. Chloe used an unstructured interview method, and tried to ask questions that targeted the personal and internal experiences of COVID rather than the circumstantial. Darian described her negative experiences with feeling isolated, and missing connection with people, but also missing a physical, spatial freedom, being able to leave the house or exist in public spaces without any guilt or discomfort. She also discussed her perspective in a global sense, referring to America's specific response to COVID as a deeply disappointing contrast to other countries' efforts. She spoke about how COVID has brought to light so many of the deeply rooted issues and inequalities in America. Toward the end of the interview, Darian insinuated that while the rest of the world may soon see COVID in its rear-view mirror, America will be reeling for a long time.
			Oral history interview with Gunther Littau, conducted by Genevieve Littau [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Gunther Littau, conducted by Genevieve Littau [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Genevieve Littau interviewed Gunther Littau. The interview includes Gunther's reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gunther's co-worker falling ill, experiences during quarantine, Gunther's work life during the pandemic, personal growth, what the end of the pandemic might be like, and cancelled plans with friends.
			Oral history interview with Kip Baloun, conducted by Joshua Smith [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Kip Baloun, conducted by Joshua Smith [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Joshua Smith interviewed Kip B, a delivery person and essential worker for a large shipping company. For personal/technological reasons, Kip was unable to video-record himself and didn't want to mention what company he works for by name. However, he was more than happy and wanting to discuss his experiences. All of the conversation was focused around the virus and Kip's experiences, feelings, and predictions regarding it and his position as an essential worker. It's interesting to see how the delivery company transitioned into the months following quarantine and increased health protocols. The volume of work hasn't lessened since Christmas, for one notable example. Kip is required to work for long days, at times 60 hours a week.
					The interview picked up particular steam near the end, where Joshua prompted Kip to either elaborate on past details, express more personal feelings, and perhaps provide stories. He showed many sides of his feeling and the complicated nature of the virus. The virus situation is taxing on him, both physically, mentally, and on his relations with his family. He is saddened and tired. He wants the best for his family and everyone around him, but shows an understanding of inevitability, predicting the virus situation will go on for half a year more. However, he does find some means of happiness in his situation. He feels good about the work he is doing and is often complimented and given gifts by people who he delivers essentials for. There's a nice little interaction he describes with him and a woman at the end, showing his belief that he's bringing a sense of returning normality during the chaos. He believes that America and us as a people will remain strong and tough it out to the end of the virus's reign.
			Oral history interview with Bailee Reed, conducted by Kaitlyn Tode [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Bailee Reed, conducted by Kaitlyn Tode [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kaitlyn Tode interviewed Bailee Reed. Bailee is Kaitlyn's best friend. Bailee is 19, going to turn 20 in January. She is currently (fall 2020) a sophomore at Northern Arizona University. Bailee is from Eugene Oregon. This is her second year at Northern Arizona University. Her major is Pre Med. Kaitlyn decided to interview Bailee because she kind of had a hard time during quarantine. Bailee ended up having to leave during spring break back to Oregon. She was really struggling with her online school because she was taking a lot of hard classes for her nursing major. She was so used to going to school in person and now that it is all changed it was hard for her. It is still hard for her today to do online learning. This semester (Fall 2020) Bailee had to meet with an advisor to talk about her classes for this semester. Bailee ended up getting an email about getting a better opportunity for her nursing degrees. At the end of November 2020, she planned to move back to her hometown Oregon. She will not continue to go to school at Northern Arizona University. Back home in Oregon, the virus is really bad there and she thought that it was bad here. Bailee is not too happy about her having to wear masks everywhere she goes, even on hikes.
			Oral history interview with Jo Paterson, conducted by Kiana Arens [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Jo Paterson, conducted by Kiana Arens [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kiana Arens interviewed Jo Paterson. Jo shared their experience of not begin able to start a planned job as an instructional assistant at a public school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jo is now retired. Jo previously lived through a different flu outbreak. Jo discussed social isolation due to being in a vulnerable group, not shopping in stores and choosing to order goods online instead. Jo had recently moved into a new house. To stay busy, Jo began doing scrapbooking and projects around the house, particularly gardening, yard work, and family history and genealogical research as well as adopting a puppy for company.
			Oral history interview with Christine Wright, conducted by Maria Wright [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Christine Wright, conducted by Maria Wright [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Maria Wright interviewed, Christine Wright. Christine is Maria's mother. Maria decided to interview Christine because of how they lived in the same house during the pandemic but their experiences were so drastically different. Christine's pandemic experience consisted of a full work schedule through the lens of being a co-owner of an accounting firm. Christine is a CPA and a partner at the firm Beasley Mitchell & Company in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has been at the firm for around 25 years. As a partner, she manages clients' accounts and oversees her staff's different projects for her clients. Her position offered a unique perspective of not only being the owner of a business but dealing with business operation and maintaining healthy employees during coronavirus.
					During the interview, Christine discussed the stress of owning a business, tax season and managing employees all during worldwide pandemic. The first half of the interview specifically focused on how the pandemic affected her business setting. For example, tax season which usually ends April 15th was pushed back to July 15th. This three months push back was a time even busier than the average tax season for her. Wright explained, "Still my deadline and my work never was interrupted and actually my work kind of morphed into bigger projects because of other things that were related to the pandemic." This was an interesting viewpoint, that in ways she was busier than ever and time passed too quickly. On top of managing tax season she had to work with the other co-owners to develop safety precautions for their employees.
					The second half of the interview focused more on Christine's view of how the pandemic affected her home situation and family life. Wright stated "I guess it was a luxury for me because time was passing quickly and I suppose when you have nothing to do, time is just at a dead standstill. Not just the time element but also the anxiety element." She recognized that while she did have different aspect of stress related to her job, she did not feel the weight of time that many other people felt. Christine even went on to recognize that it went even further and she could see the anxiety among her family members and employees.
			Oral history interview with Nathanaelle Michel, conducted by Tania Desjardins [with transcript] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Nathanaelle Michel, conducted by Tania Desjardins [with transcript], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Tania Desjardins from Mesa, Arizona, interviewed Nathanaelle Michel. Nathanaelle is Tania's niece. Nathanaelle was a good candidate because she had a busy schedule, and routines that she goes through every day. Tania was curious to see how did Covid 19 affected Nathanaelle's life in terms of not going to work, staying at home. And if not doing the things that she would normally do at home or outside was scary for her to deal with. But through the interview Nathanaelle mentioned how her schedule with work was still the same because she works with people that needed assistance, her workplace, hours did not change. Covid 19 for most people was a shock but, because of Nathanaelle's self-discipline she believes that she had nothing to worry about. Her life did not change in terms of adjustment to the health precautions guides because she understood that people carry other germs and that she could get sick at any time. That was one of the reason why she was very strict on disinfecting and sanitizing anything she touches. Luckily, her family from other states were able to recover from the virus, the same happened with her friends. Nathanaelle did not mention if not going out and socialize was a big deal to her when Tania asked her. Nathanalle only visited her parents she said. She mentioned how her health was very important to her. She did not feel isolated because there were other people at the house but at the same time she felt like she could be exposed to it because of that.
			Oral history interview with Jeffrey Miller, conducted by Simcha Miller [transcript only] October 18, 2020
					Oral history interview with Jeffrey Miller, conducted by Simcha Miller [transcript only], October 18, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					This interview was conducted on Sunday October 18th in-person at Jeffrey Miller's home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In order to get the perspective of a family practice doctor during the pandemic, Simcha Miller decided to interview Dr. Jeffrey Miller who has been practicing at his self-owned concierge clinic for the past decade. Jeffrey Miller is Simcha Miller's father. Within the interview Simcha included both general questions about his personal experience during this pandemic as well as some specific questions about his experience with patients and his work. Much of Jeffrey's answers touched on the psychological aspect of coping with this pandemic and treating his patients. Due to the nature of his practice, he has been able to maintain a close relationship with his patients. Now, the pandemic has made that relationship extra important and Jeffrey has started to take on a different role to keep up with and address pandemic concerns.
			Oral history interview with Dena Pharr, conducted by Hayden Snethkamp October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Dena Pharr, conducted by Hayden Snethkamp, October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Hayden Snethkamp interviewed Dena Pharr. Dena is Hayden's mother. Hayden chose Dena because she not only runs her own business; but she is raising children (one in college and the other in junior high) as well as responsible for all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry in the house, and Hayden couldn't think of a better person to interview besides someone who does all that and also had the virus. Hayden interviewed Dena from Hayden's apartment in Flagstaff while Dena was at her home in Phoenix. They did the call virtually because of the distance and the obvious danger of a worldwide pandemic and spreading it as one of us traveled to one another. Hayden and Dena conducted the interview on zoom on October 10th around 8:30 PM. Dena listed off things that she's responsible for but didn't even list the half of it. In Hayden's opinion, Dena is extremely dedicated, hardworking, and resilient and largely plays down her role in the family. She's been responsible for supporting a large family as well as working and making sure Hayden and Hadyen's sister are on track, awhile cleaning and sanitizing everything and being careful she doesn't contract the virus herself and spread it to the family.
			Oral history interview with Mike Macintosh, conducted by Cameryn Buck [transcript only] October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Mike Macintosh, conducted by Cameryn Buck [transcript only], October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Cameryn Buck interviewed a family friend named Mikey Macintosh. Mikey lives in a home in northern California. Mikey has lived in California since he was in high school. Mini trucks and cats are all Mikey is about. He has been Cameryn's family friend since Cameryn's parents were in high school as well. Mikey seems to be happy and healthy living lavish with his cats and trucks. Apparently, Mikey's life hasn't changed very much due to the pandemic. He is still pushing as he always has. Cameryn knew that Mikey was having issues with his past girlfriend and he doesn't necessarily want to put more money into his car. Mikey has always been someone to make everyone in the room laugh. His sense of humor is one of a kind, definitely. Cameryn had almost had the same experience as Mikey with the pandemic. Cameryn's life has not been affected too much by any of it. Cameryn just has to wear a mask and try not to cough or sneeze out in public.
			Oral history interview with Harly Merrill, conducted by Carson Merrill [with transcript] October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Harly Merrill, conducted by Carson Merrill [with transcript], October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Carson Merrill interviewed Harly Merrill, who lives in Utah, about her life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harly is Carson's sister. Carson chose to interview Harly after learning that she was quarantined because a friend of Harly's was diagnosed with COVID 19. Carson thought it would be good to interview people who were experiencing the disease themselves. They discussed her work at a high school, her social life and personal life, people Harly knew who had tested positive for COVID-19, quarantining, and her opinions on the media portrayal of the pandemic. Carson conducted two interviews, but one was lost because the audio did not work. Carson conducted the interview from Springerville, Arizona, Carson's hometown. Harly did her side of the interview at St. George, Utah. Harly was originally living in Orem, Utah but the man she is quarantining with, who was also diagnosed with COVID 19, is from St. George, Utah and he decided to go back there.
			Oral history interview with Tanner Durfee, conducted by Kamren Penne [with transcript] October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Tanner Durfee, conducted by Kamren Penne, October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Kamren Penne interviewed a close friend Tanner Durfee and he has a very interesting life where Covid really impacted his lifestyle. He is a selfless person who loves being involved and giving back to his community. Kamren asked Tanner about his jobs and how much it affected those. He works with kids in all his jobs. At skyzone the general public they did lots of sanitation to make sure they were as clean as they can be. At the city of Peoria, he works with a lot of disability kids where they are a high risk so that job got turned into a complete virtual thing where there is little to no interaction at all between him and the kids. Needless to say, economically he was drastically affected by the hit and spread of Covid 19. This would not be the worst of it as he explained that he is a survivor of this deadly virus. He explains about how he got it and what he felt like while having it. Tanner told Kamren how he had to go get tested so many times and the absolute hit his body took from getting the virus. Even in these scary times he was still worried about his family and tried his best not to give it to his other housemates. Once that happened, they all quarantined to make sure they did not give it to any of their high-risk family members or tanners clients.
			Oral history interview with Kathleen Hoyt, conducted by Lena Del Rojo [with transcript October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Kathleen Hoyt, conducted by Lena Del Rojo [with transcript], October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Lena Del Rojo interviewed Kathleen (Kathy) Hoyt. In the interview Kathy spoke about not being able to go to places and do the things she loved doing. It was like everyone was being isolated. It was hard for Kathleen because she is an outdoor person and it made her depressed. Working in a hospital was also not the easiest. Kathy is very strong and would do anything and everything to help her family, while other people may be terrified to be around a family member that has COVID. Being in the front like seems like a lot of pressure, but she wanted to help all she could and did not quit. Other people are struggling in the same and different ways. Many people have had loved ones that have passed during covid and they were not able to see them in the hospital at all. It is very sad. Kathleen also brought up how Lena's sister is having to teach her kids full time which is not easy because she does not know the curriculum and they have not done much to set things up for school online in the county she lives in.
			Oral history interview with Ian Moonen, conducted by Madilyn McFarland October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Ian Moonen, conducted by Madilyn McFarland, October 19, 2020
			Oral history interview with Giselle Aviles, conducted by Maria C. Morado [with transcript] October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Giselle Aviles, conducted by Maria C. Morado [with transcript], October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Maria Morado interviewed Giselle Aviles, a friend of Maria's from Texas. Maria thought to interview Giselle because she is a retailer and Maria wanted to know how the pandemic affected Giselle's business. Moreover, Maria was interested to know her opinion about the precautions we are taking as a society, and how is she dealing with the pandemic. Giselle likes to travel from time to time and Maria was curious as to how the pandemic affected her travel plans and if she travels what are the precautions she is taking when traveling. Giselle and Maria touch on topics like the importance of valuing what we have, especially now and how life might not be "normal" again, also the importance of following the guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19 specially for those more vulnerable of getting infected.
			Oral history interview with Logan Hatch, conducted by Patrick Hughes [transcript only] October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Logan Hatch, conducted by Patrick Hughes [transcript only], October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					The interview was conducted with James Logan Hatch, a junior studying science technology and society with a focus on innovation and organization at Stanford University in Stanford, California. Logan was in Flagstaff for a weekend and Patrick Hughes sat down with him to ask him how everything was going. The interview was originally going to be conducted via Zoom, a cloud-based telecommunications technology service, however, poor internet connection at Logan and Patrick's AirBnB forced them to have the interview in a Q& A format.
					Patrick and Logan sat outside of the AirBnb and looked into the night Fort Valley sky that had likely never heard the term 'light-pollution', a stark contrast to the dirty bustling streets of the cities, and the last place you would pick for the setting of a pandemic. The interview started with Logan's thoughts on the perceptions that he and others he knew about the pandemic had, and the same of the government's handling of the situation. His answers were fairly typical of the college student of 2020 where the temptations of an extended Spring Break lingered even amongst the rising deaths from the virus.
					The conversation then shifted to what Logan has learned and who he thinks about during the pandemic, he told Patrick about his aunt who, due to a number of factors, was at very high risk if she caught the virus. For the last segment of the interview Patrick asked Logan if he had anything he felt was of importance to the discussion, where he referenced the classic adage "this too, shall pass" and his own "be safe, love yourself, wear a seatbelt!"
			Oral history interview with Felicita Ortiz, conducted by Ryan Ortiz [with transcript] October 19, 2020
					Oral history interview with Felicita Ortiz, conducted by Ryan Ortiz [with transcript], October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Ryan Ortiz interviewed Felicita Ortiz. Felicita is Ryan's mother. Ryan chose to interview Felicita because she was in the military like Ryan and they were both together when they found out about COVID-19. Ryan remembered in January 2020 staying on Felicita's couch because he had just had left knee surgery and he remembers talking to her about how crazy people were acting, buying up all the toilet paper. She sold her house before Ryan had recovered from his surgery in March 2020, and Ryan was living in his van and still could not walk that well in April 2020. Felicita had to go stay with some friends, mostly military friends because most of the civilian friends were a bit crazy about all of this. Either direction, of super anti believers or super crazy believers. Ryan remembers some friends who were going to help them move bailed on them because they were paranoid about the covid-19. She is in the medical field and has been for some time now. Felicita was a medic in the Army and a flight medic before that, and she retired after 23 years in the Army. As Ryan and Felicita both retired from the military (Ryan medically) they did not "freak out" when this all started to "go down." This was a tough interview because she is traveling in her car right now due to the covid-19 and Ryan is going to school living in his van. So, she had to sit in a parking lot so Ryan could interview her. She had to log into her phone, and Ryan had to sit at school (NAU) in the parking lot with his door open so he could get internet.
			Oral history interview with Angeles Aguiniga, conducted by Xochilt L. Aguiniga [with transcript] October 19, 2020
					English, Spanish; Castilian.
					Oral history interview with Angeles Aguiniga, conducted by Xochilt L. Aguiniga [with transcript], October 19, 2020
					Scope & Contents
					Xochilt Aguiniga interviewed Angeles Aguiniga about her COVID-19 and quarantine experience. Angeles is Xochilt's mother. They started the interview slowly with basic introduction questions, then continued to talk about Angeles' first memories of COVID-19. Angeles explained that she first heard about the pandemic while on the job at the dialysis center she works at. They remained open through the entirety of the pandemic and lockdowns. Having to continue to work she was unable to full quarantine and had to take extra precautions when coming home to her family.
					Angeles had no specific date in mind when asked to if there were any dates that stuck out to her. Angeles Aguiniga did go on to tell the story of the first patient they had contract Covid and the changes her work place went through. She said that their office began to social distance and the office and patients lost the charm and happiness they had worked to established for their patients. After the first patient passed from Covid, their work began to implement the changes more.
					When how Covid had affected her family, Angeles explained that the Aguinigas had been very united and having to social distance created a bit of a separation between immediate and extended family. An example she gave was having to social distance from her mother-in-law, Xochilt's grandmother, within their own home. Xochilt asked Angeles for her opinion on Xochilt's decision to return to NAU in Flagstaff. She began to get emotional explaining that it is difficult because Angeles is unable to protect Xochilt when her child is away. Angeles fears for Xochilt being alone but is proud that Xochilt has continued to pursue an education during the pandemic.
					Angeles explained that she felt her entire mind changed going through quarantine. She feels that we need to give all we have and love all that we have. We need to care for each other. Life can be lost so quickly, so she believes that we need to live each day and enjoy. While being safe of course. She is grateful for the life that she has and thanks God each day. Now more than ever.
					When asked to talk about her son and future daughter-in-law having to isolate, once again Angeles got emotional. Her son's girlfriend contracted COVID and they had to isolate in a trailer in front of family home. The only time she was able to speak to them was through a window while sitting on the back of a truck. She compared their isolation to seeing them in a prison. Angeles says she would never wish that experience on anyone. When notified that they had both been cleared and were COVID free, she described it as a big relief. She was grateful and happy that it had not been worse or escalated. She described it as being able to breathe again.
			Oral history interview with Timmia Anderson, conducted by Lisseth Magno November 4, 2020
					Oral history interview with Timmia Anderson, conducted by Lisseth Magno, November 4, 2020
					Scope & Content
					Lisseth Magno interviewed Timmia Anderson. Timmia is Lisseth's roommate and a longtime friend. Lisseth asked Timmia about the challenges she faced during the COVID-19 pandemic; whether anyone she knew had tested positive for COVID-19; how the pandemic had affected her mentally or emotionally; whether Timmia thought the government response was appropriate or what she would have done differently as a government official; how long she thought the pandemic would last; and her opinions and observations on mask-wearing and quarantining.