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

Mia Yelvelton
Narrator

Briannah Cowan
Interviewer

April 10, 2022
Greenville, North Carolina

BC: (00:00)
So to get us started, what is your name?

MY: (00:02)
Mia

BC: (00:03)
And what is your affiliation with the university? Are you a student? Tell us your year and your major.

MY: (00:08)
I'm a sophomore. and my major is psychology with a minor in Business Administration.

BC: (00:16)
So our first question is going to be how has the pandemic changed the way you receive? Let me rephrase that. So with the pandemic, has it caused you in any of your classes to be changed online delivery? How's it how's the pandemic change the way you have been in class for the past year?

MY: (00:36)
Um, I hasn't really changed that much. They've been trying to work on getting back to normal. But it's just, we have to have social distancing with masks and stuff. So yeah.

BC: (00:50)
What was your experience of actually leaving campus? What kind of help did you have? And what were your thoughts and emotions as you were leaving?

MY: (00:59)
And can you repeat your question?

BC: (01:04)
Of course, I was asking, What was your experience of actually leaving campus? So like, when they made us leave campus? Because of COVID? What kind of help did you have? And what were your thoughts and emotions as you were leaving?

MY: (01:14)
Well, personally, I hated it. Um, it was actually very hard. Because the first year of college, you're new to everything you need to all the teachers and professors. So it was like, kind of, I felt like I kind of didn't have any help. But I did. Because I'm more of an in person hands on learner, you know. So, yeah.

BC: (01:37)
And so where are you living now?

MY: (01:39)
I live in Whitehall on campus.

BC: (01:44)
And so what was we'll seeing now that they've dropped the mask mandate? What is what was the daily life like for you, when we did have the mask mandate, and COVID was in full effect.

MY: (01:57)
It was a struggle. I truly could not breathe with the mask on. And it also broke my face out. And I did not appreciate that. But I also like to see people's faces. That's how you get to know people and know their face to know their name, you know?

BC: (02:15)
So how were your classes going? What kind of messages have you received from your professors?

MY: (02:22)
They were good. Um, no messages really received? It just made us, just told us to keep our masks up.

BC: (02:33)
So have you changed your academic routine since COVID? Like, have you changed the way that you study? or anything? No. Okay, so are you involved in any student organizations, sports or clubs? How is the pandemic affected them?

MY: (02:54)
I'm not involved in those. All right,

BC: (02:56)
so do you have a job on or off campus?

MY: (02:59)
I have a job off campus, I work at aces for autism.

BC: (03:03)
And so how has that been affected by the pandemic and quarantine, it actually has not been affected at all. So, okay, so how are your friends, family partner, or other important people in your life doing?

MY: (03:16)
They're doing great. I don't have a partner though. But I'm great.

BC: (03:22)
So are you doing any community work or volunteering as a result of the pandemic? As in like shopping for neighbors donating blood? Or other community work? No. Okay, so what are your impressions of the media coverage of the pandemic? Both currently in before it arrived in the US? Or do you even watch the news?

MY: (03:45)
Um, I don't watch the news, but I definitely heard about it, because how could you not, you know, it was just, I personally think it was blown out of the waters, you know, like out of proportion, and I still do think it is, but I also have not lost a loved one to COVID or anything like that. And I, I had it, but it didn't affect me as bad as anybody else. So I'm not really crazy over it, you know?

BC: (04:10)
All right. So what seemed normal before that seems strange to you now. For example, my professor gave a example of like, how we blow candles out on a cake, and all of our spit particles could like get on the cake. And now during COVID times, that's probably like, let's not do that. So that's just an example. What is something that was a normal before but it's strange now because of COVID.

MY: (04:39)
Well, that was unsettling. I can't really think of anything off the head but I do have a vice versa. I think seeing people in the beginning of the pandemic wearing gloves and masks and everything was crazy, insane. But now it's just like, oh, it's an everyday thing, you know?

BC: (04:58)
Yeah. Another example I saw Ah, where this girl was like now because of COVID I'm gonna have to wash my hands after I use the bathroom now and I was like, um, you should have been doing that the whole time. That's fine. Um, but, um, so, because of COVID Have you had any plans changed? What did you miss out on? And what were you planning to do that is now uncertain.

MY: (05:24)
I have had my whole entire life messed up. I'm just kidding. It wasn't my whole entire life. But my family had a Disney trip planned. We couldn't go because of COVID ruined it. I was planning on going to a Justin Bieber concert. It got postponed for two years. And I finally went a couple of weeks ago. It was a graduation gift two years ago, and also just the whole school thing in general. I was taken away from my campus, and face to face learning. And that was really upsetting to me, because I was looking forward to have a freshman year. And also another one was my senior year, High School. Senior in high school was a big thing. freshman year in college, a big thing. I had both of them taken away from me, my senior prom, gone, senior prank gone. I was just really upset.

BC: (06:18)
So all right, so how do you rate the governmental responses to the pandemic? Like, do you agree with how the government decided on how to respond about the pandemic? Or did you not agree with them?

MY: (06:32)
Absolutely not. I think they, like I said earlier, blew it out of the waters, like out of proportion. They could have settled it a different way. The whole lockdown thing was crazy to me. I'm not used to that. And even my parents, my grandparents said they've never seen anything like that before. So yeah, it's a little strange and crazy to me. I didn't really appreciate it, actually. And then we had a whole little bedtime pretty much a worldwide bedtime where we had to be back home and off the streets at a certain time. Like, are we children, God now?

BC: (07:09)
Okay, so when it was finally time to return back to campus, how did that feel? Were you excited?

MY: (07:18)
I was pretty excited. But I was also nervous because it was kind of like my first year, again, as a freshman, but I wasn't a freshman. It was just first year on campus. So of course, I was excited. So had that freshman feeling, definitely gain that freshman 15. You know, and so that, yeah, and I don't know, I enjoyed it. I have actually came along a very good way this year. So yeah.

BC: (07:44)
So I feel like we touched on this a little bit earlier. But how did you feel about wearing a mask? Like how do you feel about the mask mandates? You did, it didn't grow on you at all,

MY: (07:53)
and not at all, not one bit. I hated it completely. 100%. Like I said previously, I think that COVID was just, it was over exaggerated. But once again, um, once again, um, I have not had any personal losses or anything crazy, like that, or any unfortunate events, so I did not like the mask mandate at all. But I guess it was helpful because the world is kind of back in control now.

BC: (08:23)
So, um, do you think the maths were affected at all? Or do you feel like we were just out here looking stupid for a year or so?

MY: (08:33)
A little bit of both. Um, I definitely think it helped. But then after I started Dow down, people were still wearing masks like now, there's still a good amount of people that are still wearing masks and the mask mandate has been like, let down. So thanks a little redonkulous but I don't know.

BC: (08:52)
Wow, new words. Did you get a vaccine?

MY: (08:56)
I was forced to because my well but my mother to get my vaccine so yeah, she told me if I didn't get it, I wasn't going to campus so I had to

BC: (09:03)
so I'm guessing you didn't feel too great about getting the vaccine.

MY: (09:08)
Not one bit. I really could care less about it. I didn't want it at all because I feel like it's crazy. Like the government's putting Yes.

BC: (09:17)
Okay. how many just curious how many vaccines did you get? Did you get a booster did, did you

MY: (09:23)
I just got the regular regular smegular first shot second shot. That's all I need. I refused to get the booster. I don't want anything else put into my body. All right.

BC: (09:34)
Did you ever get COVID?

MY: (09:36)
I did. I got it. My first year on campus the first little two weeks I actually did but I lost my sense of my sense. Sorry. My, my taste and my smell that was actually awful. And I still I fully recovered but chocolate tastes a little strange to me. And that's upsetting because I love chocolate. So yeah.

BC: (09:57)
So your experience It's would be your lack of taste and smell.

MY: (10:03)
Yes. And I was stuffy. I didn't really feel like, like bad or anything. I was just stuffy was coughing and then, boom, my smell my tastes were vanished. Yeah, it was awful.

BC: (10:17)
Did you end up getting long COVID? Like, where you had symptoms of COVID for an extended extended period of time for like, maybe a month, two months after you had COVID?

MY: (10:29)
Um, no, I was sick for those probably like two weeks. And then, um, my smell and my tastes was gone for about a whole year. Unfortunately, I looked it up. And I said that it could have lasted for like, some weeks you get it back in some weeks or months, or a year. I was like, Oh, I'm gonna get it back in a couple of days. No, it did not come back for a year.

BC: (10:53)
So you did have long COVID. You just described long COVID?

MY: (10:57)
No, long I wasn't sick.

BC: (10:59)
Yeah, but you still had the symptoms of COVID?

MY: (11:04)
Right.

BC: (11:04)
That's fine. So we're going to backtrack just a little bit. When was the first time or what what did you remember? About like, when you heard of COVID? Like, what time period? Did you hear about it?

MY: (11:20)
Um, my senior year, second semester of my senior year, I was like, oh, what's gonna stay over? There's not going to come over here. Then I started saying the first cases was in Florida or something like that. And I'm like, Yeah, still gonna stay down there. Then they got to North Carolina. I was like, oh, it's not gonna get too bad. And then I remember my last day of class. That was kind of sad. But yeah.

BC: (11:44)
So after your last day of class, because of COVID. How did that instruction change?

MY: (11:51)
Everything was online. They had the pass or fail, little grades. And I love that because we pretty much didn't have any grades after that. Like they put everything online. They had assignments, but they weren't even graded, really? But, yeah.

BC: (12:09)
Okay, and so what do you feel like you missed out on your senior year of high school because of COVID.

MY: (12:15)
Everything I missed out on making more friends I missed out on my senior prom, which I was very upset about, because I had a dress and everything. And I was going to start on them. We had this thing called SR assassins, where it's like little water guns and you get them out and then you get a prize at the end if you win. Missed out on that. Um, well, actually, we played a little bit, but I didn't win. So whatever. But um, I missed out on the senior prank we missed out on graduation. Well, we didn't really miss out. But, you know, it wasn't the traditional graduation, like on the big field and everything we had in our cars. Oh, so that could have been fun. But it wasn't that bad. Because I know other people had to do it on YouTube. Like they literally were at home on YouTube. So we had the experience to actually be with everybody. But in the cars. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was actually pretty cute. But yeah. I don't think I have anything else to say. Actually, also, yeah.

BC: (13:19)
So actually, let me see if I can help you out. So when it came to masks, I know you already previously said that you did not like them whatsoever. Did you have a preference for cloth? Or the more medical ones like the blue ones or the black ones?

MY: (13:38)
Um, well with my face breaking out I had at first I think everybody started with the disposable masks. And I had I was working at Taco Bell. And you know, the environment is like, like oily and then like you get sweaty and stuff like that. So like all those particles get around your face. My face started breaking out very, very bad. So I was like, okay, so they so then they started giving us a cloth mask. And I was like maybe this will be better. No, it was worse. So then I looked up like masks on Amazon that can help with acne and it said silk masks. I was like, Yeah, I guess I'll try this. It works wonders. It does. I got a four pack and they weren't great. I still have them. And I've worn them in my face has calmed down and everything. So I'm very grateful for that.

BC: (14:30)
Do you feel that the silk mask? I know you believe the masks don't didn't really do anything. But do you feel like the silk mask? Were as effective as a cloth mask? Or would the disposable masks?

MY: (14:43)
Yes, it's the same thing. It's just silk.

BC: (14:48)
All right, so So with when you had COVID Because you were on campus when you had COVID Correct.

MY: (14:55)
Um, actually, I didn't know it was COVID. I just woke up one morning Like little sicky and coughing, and I actually had went home that weekend. And then we got the call email notice whatever, about how we are being sent home. So that was very, it was fortunate and unfortunate at the same time, and I was like, okay, because if I would have had COVID on campus, I would have had to been quarantined and everything, so be in quarantine in my own house, in my own room. It wasn't necessarily quarantine, but because I didn't realize that it was COVID I was just like, Oh, it's just a little sickness, you know, because I don't ever really get sick. But I guess I did get sick. That's crazy.

BC: (15:40)
oh Wow.

MY: (15:41)
Yeah.

BC: (15:42)
So what about the pandemic worries or worried you the most?

MY: (15:49)
what worried me the most? This may have been a little selfish, but I was just upset that I had to leave campus and stay at home because, um, yeah, it was just really upsetting because I was really looking forward to having that feeling of freedom, meeting new people having a freshman year of college experience. And, um, yeah, I just didn't get that. So. But yeah,

BC: (16:18)
and any hope?

MY: (16:19)
Um, I'm not sure how to answer that question.

BC: (16:23)
Okay. So how long do you see COVID still being a thing? Like, do you think it's something that's just gonna die out? Or do you think it's going to be like a seasonal thing where it's going to come back? Like every kind of like a flu season?

MY: (16:37)
Um, I definitely don't think it's going to die out. Because it's been about what, three years, two years? Almost three, I'm not sure. But um, it's kind of like is gonna be a mix of seasonal and just like a forever type of thing. Like, I feel like there's going to be more of a forever type of thing. Like, if you get it, you get it. I don't think it's gonna be seasonal. But they said, I can't remember if it's, you get it when it's like, cold. I think they said you get it when it's cold. And then like it like dies when it's hot. But for like more cases will rise when it's cold again, but it's been pretty chilly. This past couple months. And cases have died down a lot. So thankful for that.

BC: (17:25)
And when you did have COVID How did you protect yourself and other people from also getting COVID? Or did you do you know if you gave

BC: (17:33)
Oh, excuse you.

MY: (17:35)
Sorry.

BC: (17:35)
You okay?

MY: (17:36)
Excuse me.

BC: (17:37)
Wow, the cheese it must have went down the wrong way. So when you had COVID? did, how did you protect yourself and others? Or did you know if anyone you gave COVID to?

MY: (17:49)
Um, well, since it was like COVID was like a big thing or whatever. Um, I didn't go anywhere because of school. Like, we still have school online. I didn't go anywhere. But um, I didn't really like I said previously, I didn't really think that it was like, COVID I thought it was just a little sickness. But I did stay in my room. So, um, people that were like, could have been affected by but wasn't was my family. But I don't want people in my room anyway. So nobody came in my room. I just went downstairs to eat but that was it really. I didn't give COVID to anyone. But um, because I didn't go anywhere. And yeah.

BC: (18:34)
Okay, so the last question that I'm going to ask you about would be something that I have noticed that because of COVID. And one of the key symptoms is coughing. How do you feel about coughing in public? Like, do you think people are silently discriminating against you thinking you have COVID? Or how do you feel about that?

MY: (18:54)
I absolutely think that people are silently discriminating me, because it's just like, Okay, I get people would get stares when they would cough. But now you get stared down into your soul, when you just get a little tickle in your throat. Because every little cough that you make every little sniffle little sneeze COVID Yes. COVID must not sure that's not the case, because I don't actually like that. But now I get like, because, you know, sometimes you can get choked up on your spit. You can like to have a little tickle in your throat. You see the little cough, but the stares are so unnecessary. I do not appreciate that. Or like not everything is COVID You could have a little a little cold. You could have some sinuses, you can have a little mucus in there. And then you just get stared down. And because you cough so you have COVID No, that's not true. And but then again, like if you don't cover your mouth, okay, that's gross. You're supposed to cover your mouth either way. Or if we start like hacking up, you're definitely gonna get some stares just because it's a little obnoxious. But um yeah, It's not COVID But I really don't like people that stare you down because you get a little cough out.

BC: (20:06)
Okay, so thank you for answering my questions. I'm going to ask you one more time just to be sure. Is there anything else you would like to add?

MY: (20:14)
No, thank you.

BC: (20:16)
All right. Well, thank you so much.

MY: (20:18)
You're welcome.

BC: (20:19)
And thank you for the time that you took to interview with me.

[End of Recording]