Coming Together While Apart

Last August, I began a 10-month Italian exchange program in a town called Latina, about an hour from Rome. I was really excited to experience Italian culture. I had no idea Italy was about to become the epicenter of a global pandemic.

In early March, my Italian school closed and we were stuck inside. My family in Oklahoma started getting nervous that Italy would shut down travel and I wouldn’t be able to leave. I hoped I could stay, but my mom said no. The day after I got back home, Italy closed its borders.

I know that my experience was minor compared to what a lot of people are going through, but I was still disappointed to cut my trip short. Now that I’m home, it really bothers me when I hear xenophobic comments blaming certain groups of people for spreading the virus. My experience has taught me that we shouldn’t be placing blame or pointing fingers. We should all be trying to help each other out.

Although it’s not safe right now, I want to travel again as soon as possible. Even though we’re apart from other cultures geographically, situations like this teach us how important it is to all come together.

—As told to Joey Bartolomeo

My grandmother lives in senior housing, and when the shutdown happened, a lot of seniors became isolated. My friend Lucy works with people who have disabilities, and the restrictions were having similar effects on them.

Lucy and I decided to start an organization called Connect Chicago, which connects volunteers with people who want someone to talk to. We emailed flyers to the managers of nursing homes and group homes, and recruited student volunteers on social media. By the end of April, we had 70 pairings.

I’m matched with a senior named Donnie, who is visually impaired. We talk about my classes, his daily routine, and how he’s learning braille. I also told him how I was turning 16 in May, and it was disappointing that I couldn’t get my driver’s license when I’d planned. Donnie will often say, “I’m here to listen to you,” which reframes our calls as mutually beneficial.

My goal was to help other people, but our conversations really did help me too. Our volunteers have told us they feel like this is helping them to stay connected as much it helps the person they are calling.

We want to keep Connect Chicago going after social distancing ends. People struggle with feeling isolated even without the coronavirus and can always use someone to talk to. Breaking down barriers to connection will always be relevant.

—As told to Joey Bartolomeo

My mother is an emergency room doctor. From the start of the pandemic she was worried about the limited personal protective equipment for the doctors and nurses. She didn’t want to bring the virus home to us, so my brothers and I moved to my grandparents’ house in New Jersey to be safe.

Not long after we left, my mother came down with a cough and a headache. Then she tested positive for the virus. Fortunately, she eventually recovered. She went back to work in the ER and moved into a hotel so my brothers and I could come home.

We were separated for more than a month before she was able to take a test to confirm she had the virus antibodies and could move back home with us. Now when she comes home from the ER she gets undressed at the front door and then runs upstairs and takes a shower, in case the virus is on her clothes or in her hair.

This experience made me realize that doctors get a lot less attention and support than they deserve. They sometimes lack basic resources to stay safe. It’s amazing to think what a huge impact doctors have—not just on their patients, but on their patients’ entire families too. In the future, I’d like to be able to help people by doing something that has a similarly big impact.

—As told to Joey Bartolomeo

I’m the president of FIRST Robotics Team 2471, which has students from a few local high schools. Normally we spend the spring working on a project for team competitions, but our competition season got canceled due to the virus.

Instead, we started making clear plastic face and eye shields for essential workers using 3-D printing, which uses a three-dimensional computer model to print a three-dimensional solid object.

We created programs for two types of face shields: one we call the Mandalorian, and another one we call the Stormtrooper, since they both look like something out of Star Wars. Later we combined the most popular parts of each model into a third version called the Vizsla.

The shields are actually pretty inexpensive to make; the state of Washington told us they were paying more than $2 per shield, and we can make one for $1.33. Crowdfunding, grants, and corporate donors pay for our materials. So far, we’ve delivered more than 22,000 shields to 97 different facilities, including hospitals, local care centers, and grocery stores.

Obviously, it’s really disappointing that we won’t have the chance to compete at the World Robotics Team Championships, but we now have all these great skills we’re using to make a difference in this time, which is really rewarding.

—As told to Emma Coburn