[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]

Taylor Westlake
Interviewer

Jodie McKee
Interviewee

April 19, 2022

TW: (00:02)
So before we begin, I just want to clarify that I do indeed have your consent to. Man, hang on. I can clip the video hopefully. Before we start, I just want to make sure that I do have your consent to one record this interview and then to to download it to the ECU archives, it can be viewed by other people. So I just want to make sure that you're okay with that.

JM: (00:31)
Yes, yes.

TW: (00:33)
Okay, awesome. My name is Taylor, I'm going to be interviewing you about COVID. So to start off, could you say your name for me, please?

JM: (00:42)
My name is Jodie McKee.

TW: (00:44)
Okay. And what's your affiliation to ECU?

JM: (00:49)
I am a graduate student. I am online fully online. I am in strategic communication masters.

TW: (00:59)
Okay. And did you decide to go online because of COVID? Or was there another factor that made you want to be an online student?

JM: (01:08)
I actually live in Greensboro. Now. That's why I wanted to do fully online classes. Didn't have to move back to Greenville.

TW: (01:17)
And did you? Um, when did you go? When did you start going to ECU? When was your freshman year?

JM: (01:23)
My I started in the fall of 2017.

TW: (01:27)
Okay, so did COVID have any impact on you? On campus? Throughout your, your years at UC?

JM: (01:35)
Yes, I was taking in, in person classes when COVID started. So I was out of in person class, and I did not have a graduation. Well, it was a virtual graduation, because of COVID. So in that way, but I was taking maybe one online class at the time. And so I kind of knew how it worked. So it didn't really impact me that much. I kind of liked it. Okay,

TW: (02:04)
um, could you describe how, like some of your teachers maybe handled the pandemic? And how, like, how they were able to shift on to, to online? Do you think they like some of them did a good job? Or like, Could you comment on anything that they did?

JM: (02:21)
Um, I think, honestly, I really do commend all of my professors, because it really was all of them to transition. I mean, honestly, the students just had to, you know, show up, and just figure out how to do their assignments online, but it was really up to the professors to to make it work. So I think all of my professors did a really awesome job. And they all kept me super informed. So there wasn't really a single class where I really struggled with that, because they really did a great job transitioning to online class.

TW: (02:58)
Okay, um, and so now with the pandemic, kind of, I guess some people don't really care about it anymore, and some people are still, like, terrified of COVID. Has it changed your daily life at all? Um, so are there anything, anything that you do different that you probably wouldn't have done pre COVID?

JM: (03:19)
I'm not necessarily. I mean, when it was more, it's kind of I mean, not fizzling out, but there's a lot less pace now. I'm in the thick of it. I mean, I definitely wear my mask all the time. And I, you know, use hand sanitizer all the time. And I stayed home a lot more did a lot more online stuff. I guess I would say that now I am a lot more technologically sufficient, like I use. I use online resources in everything a lot more than I would have previously, I guess. But that's really all that changed for my daily.

TW: (04:01)
So you would say that, I guess a positive that has come out of the pandemic would be like you're better with technology. Yeah. How does that that played a big role?

JM: (04:13)
Yeah. Especially because with my job, teams, Microsoft Teams Google me all that I never used it prior to COVID and now, you know, I use it all the time. So I mean, that is a good thing. I I've learned a lot with technology and transitioning online. I think it did help me the transition during COVID I don't think I would have been as good with my online classes. Right now as a graduate student without having to be online for COVID

TW: (04:51)
Okay, and I'm gonna hop back a little bit I did hear you say that you with your job. What do you do? What um, So what is your job?

JM: (05:01)
I work in digital marketing, I work alongside different companies all over the US. And so we have meetings all the time. face to face meetings, not really because it's online, but um, it makes it a lot easier to have these resources because we are able to collaborate a lot more. I mean, and I even one of our partners, they actually their office is split into different states. And so we can all be on a meeting at the same time, and I think somebody's in California, ones in Arizona, and then I'm in North Carolina, so.

TW: (05:43)
Okay, that's awesome. Um, so what do you think? Actually, what are you getting your master's degree for? Like, what do you want that? What do you want that for?

JM: (05:58)
So my master's is going to be in strategic communication. My main end goal is to become a professor, after I get my master's degree, I'm just going to continue working, probably go into PR, and maybe still do some marketing, and then get my doctorate and hopefully start student teaching and compressor. So that's the goal. Okay.

TW: (06:28)
So with your communications degree, and the media outlets have it? What is your view on how the media has affected, like the views of COVID, and all of that stuff surrounding the situation that we're in?

JM: (06:44)
The media impacts everything. I think the media impacts everything, and COVID is no different. There definitely was, I think there's been a lot of, it's just really easy to get misconstrued. I guess the factual information is it gets can misconstrued very easily. for lots of reasons. I mean, there's just people out there who, I guess, trolls that put false information out there. I mean, and then you have just so many different news and media outlets, social media, everything just gets so lost in translation, I guess. But, on the other hand, I think it is really good to have the media and social media and all of this because we can see what's happening in other countries and how it's impacting the rest of the world, not just the United States. So I don't know. I mean, I think it's really important, but I do think that it has a positive impact, but also there is a negative side to it all too.

TW: (07:49)
Okay. Um, and I'm going to ask the question that I think everybody gets asked, Have you ever gotten COVID? Before?

JM: (07:58)
Yes, I actually went all of 2020 all 2021 did not get COVID. And then, January 2022. I got COVID.

TW: (08:11)
Ah, okay.

JM: (08:12)
Yeah.

TW: (08:13)
Could you tell me about how you felt during it, like your experience with COVID

JM: (08:19)
It was, it was really awful. It wasn't for me, it wasn't to the point where I felt in danger where I needed to go to the hospital, but it was probably the sickest I've ever been. I had such a terrible fever. And I just had this lingering cough and headache. Honestly, the headache was probably the worst part for me. I don't know. I just can't even hardly remember it because I was just like, in bed. I just couldn't eat. I couldn't do anything. I was just taking medicines around the clock to try and help me. I had a little heart rate thing that you put on your, into your finger. I guess it checks your oxygen level just to make sure I was still healthy range and I didn't need to go see the doctor. And other than that, I just kind of stayed in bed and you know, waited it out.

TW: (09:16)
Oh, that's horrible. Um, did you have any like, I guess, symptoms of COVID. After you were you were feeling better. Like did you have any like long COVID symptoms? Like I know some people can't taste or can't smell for a couple weeks or a couple months after? Did you have anything like that?

JM: (09:36)
Yes, I the taste and the smell I had but I couldn't smell or taste anything. I still can't really smell that well, but it is coming back. So yeah, but I think that was in maybe a cough. Like maybe a little bit of a wheeze I had for a couple of weeks. Um, but nothing crazy. But yeah, definitely the loss of taste and smell

TW: (10:00)
so go with going through COVID and having gone through the pandemic or still going through it. Um, what are some changes like, not even just in your personal daily life, but throughout society that you've noticed that you don't think we'll go back to the way it was after the pandemic?

JM: (10:28)
I think this is hard, because I feel like it literally has changed the whole world.

JM: (10:38)
Honestly, I think people take journeys more seriously, I've always kind of been a germ germaphobe. But now, I feel like more people will actually use their hand sanitizer. And another thing that I really have noticed, because my, a lot of my family members, they were sent home during COVID. And they had to work from home. I think virtual working from home, I guess, what would you call it remote working will be one of the biggest changes because people can work from home just as efficiently. Most people can. I mean, if you can't, obviously, it would still be nice to have that option. Or even like a hybrid setting where you go in the office and you're remote some days, I think that will be one of the biggest societal changes, because we had to do it for so long. And now I feel like so many companies have adjusted and made things so much better that people can work remotely.

TW: (11:42)
Okay, do you think? Um, now, this is obviously completely opinionated. But do you think it'd be more efficient to keep people working from home? Or do you think it'd be more efficient to have them back in the office working face to face?

JM: (11:59)
I think,

TW: (12:02)
sorry, the tough question.

JM: (12:06)
I think that it would open a lot of doors to be able to work remotely, because of the fact that you could have people from different states, I mean, it's tough because there are negative sides and positive sides to it. Because you could have people who are more qualified for a job in a different state, work from home. But the downfall would be they wouldn't be close. And they would have to travel if there ever was an event or something like that. But I do I think it's a really great thing to be able to work remotely. Because it I mean, all of these companies, they have kept going and they've worked just as well working remotely than they do, you know, working in the office.

TW: (12:58)
Okay. Um, no. Speaking of not just you, but how have you and your family adjusted to being in COVID, or going through the, like, the pandemic?

JM: (13:13)
my family really wasn't impacted that much. Because they, well, I'll talk about my family, I now live in Greensboro and just recently moved, but my family at home and where I was living during the pandemic. Well, during the thick of the pandemic, I would say, Yeah, wasn't really impacted that much other than, you know, just like your everyday going to the store, because I am from a small town and so like we live out in the country and all live on the same land. So it wasn't that big of an adjustment other than my grandparents, we kind of had to do more, like speaking of groceries and going out to get things for them. We tried to do more of that so they could stay home and away from you know, being out. But other than that, we really weren't impacted that much.

TW: (14:13)
So speaking of like getting the groceries for your grandparents and everything. Um, did you guys do any special things for your groceries because I know about two people like wash them off or like wore gloves and stuff or did you just do like how did you handle that knowing that there could be like potentially be germs on the food?

JM: (14:36)
So we really stocked up in the beginning like before things even completely shut down. We went to the grocery store and we kind of just like stocked up on you know freezer food Chicken put in the freezer, you know to save it and um, so we didn't have to go too much but when we did at first we would you You know, be really cautious and, you know, wipe them down or especially like produce and stuff. But after a while, we didn't really do that anymore, we kind of just, you know, we were careful, we would, you know, get it go home and just put it away. I mean, we didn't, we didn't do that for long. So, okay,

TW: (15:21)
and then, um, being around all of these people like in the, in the thick of the pandemic or anything, how do you feel about the vaccine? Or, like, have you gotten it or anything like that?

JM: (15:35)
I do not have the vaccine. But I do want to get the vaccine. Because I think it is a really good thing, especially all my grandparents have the vaccine, anybody at risk, super high risk in my family has the vaccine, I think it's a great thing. Because, um, I mean, I have my vaccine for everything else. So I mean, why not get the COVID vaccine, it's supposed to protect you. So I think it's a really great thing.

TW: (16:02)
Okay, awesome. Um, now is there anything else? Like? Is there anything that you've learned throughout the pandemic that you that you think could help you, like in the future that like you could work towards, like using as a professor or like using to help other people, like any advice that you could give?

JM: (16:32)
I think I have really learned a lot over the past couple years, I mean, just about the world. I mean, the whole world has grown. And we had to go through it together, honestly. So I mean, I really do think it's going to be something that in the future, everybody's gonna look back on and study and, you know, I mean, communication wise, you know, biology wise, like any anything really psychology, any field could study, this pandemic, and how it affected the world and learn from it. And in the future. I mean, it might be because this is something that we hadn't dealt with before, at least in my lifetime. And so I think, in the future, if something like this were to happen again, I feel like we would have a more established way to handle it, you know?

TW: (17:29)
Yeah, definitely. Um, and do you know, anyone who has had a battle with COVID and was hospitalized or anything like that, that ended up winning and like, getting over it, beating? COVID?

JM: (17:44)
Yes, I there's actually a couple that I, my it was my grandfather's friends, and I got them some groceries when they because the husband had COVID First, but they were both quarantining, of course, and so I got them groceries, and I dropped them off at their house, and then they came out, totally did not see each other. And so, um, I, they both were actually hospitalized, the husband had it first, and then the wife got it, and they were both hospitalized. It was they, they had to call the ambulance, you know, it was just those two at the house. And, but after a couple of days, they were out of the hospital. And they're doing much better now. So,

TW: (18:30)
okay, um, did COVID Kind of, like change any of your any of your plans that you had for yourself? Or did it make you kind of have to alter some things that you wanted to do? Or is there anything that you feel like COVID kind of stole for you something that you might have missed out on?

JM: (18:51)
Um, the only thing would be, it happened so close to graduation for me. I already had the job that I wanted. I, I work for my dad, but I kind of wanted to find a different job after graduation. And I think it did make it a little bit harder in that aspect, because it was much harder to you know, go out and find something because everything was shut down. And in graduation, I mean, I didn't have a graduation, which I still graduated there was still a virtual graduation, but um, other than that, I don't think so. Um, because I mean, I was pretty much almost done with school. Well, not graduate school, but um, the only thing that really it was much harder when I was looking for different jobs.

TW: (19:52)
Okay. Was it just because you think of the pandemic and like they didn't want to hire anyone new or it was because just everything was shutting down?

JM: (20:01)
I think it I think it really was just because everyone was shut down. And everybody was kind of in panic mode, like, didn't really know what was going to happen. Didn't really know what was honestly happening at the time. So, yeah,

TW: (20:13)
definitely. Okay. And now, I don't really want to end on a sad note or anything like that. So could you give me one of your favorite memories that you can think of that came out of the pandemic, not necessarily because of it, but something that happened during it that you that you love?

JM: (20:29)
Um, I would say, spending more time with family. I mean, because everybody got to be so close. And my mom would say, all the time, she would be not grateful. But, but she was thankful for the time that we had together because she said without the pandemic, she never would have had time with all of I have two sisters. So with all of us without being home altogether.

TW: (20:57)
awesome. That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to let me interview you. I really appreciate it.

JM: (21:06)
Thank you.

TW: (21:07)
Of course, I'm gonna stop recording this real quick.

JM: (21:10)
Okay.

[End of Recording]