For the interview, I chose a friend from home. Our region was fortunate not to be hit heavy by the virus and generally, life continued rather unaffected. The friend I chose to interview is an immuno-compromised college student, whose grandparents live with her, and both of her parents work in the medical field. I thought these factors would change her perspective from the general population.

Overall, her largest concern with the pandemic was how it would affect her compromised immune system. She rarely leaves the house and when she does, she makes sure to have a mask and plenty of hand sanitizer. Because of her immunity, she has had to take exclusively online classes this semester which has changed her projected graduation date. She also talked about her reliance on technology during the pandemic. Like many college students, she was in the middle of Spring Break when she learned that she would not be continuing her classes on campus. She commutes to her university, but experienced several factors at home that made completing her work difficult. These factors were mentioned several times to cause immense stress. Though she is experiencing stress, her concerns still fell to those around her. She frequently brought up the mental health of another friend as well as her grandparents’ and parents’ safety. In the conclusion of our conversation, I asked what outside factors frustrated her about the pandemic. In response, she complained about the community’s response, those who deny the pandemic is real, treat it as a political topic, and refuse to wear a mask as well as the mixed reports from media platforms.

Her reflections provide a different perspective. Though we live close to one another, we are still in different areas. Whereas my city has only have 5 cases since March, her county has counted around 2,000 cases. Why not extreme, this is comparatively a significant number. She said the world is insane right now and we only have each other to rely on. “COVID-19 has definitely affected people in many ways, some have it worse than others; therefore, be kind to any people you do interact with. For the love of all things holy, cooperate and follow the guidelines. Don’t be a “Karen”. All you’re going to hurt is your pride by wearing a cloth over your face. Think how your ignorance can change someone’s life negatively.”