The emerging crisis has been very overwhelming for me as a first-generation student from a low income family. It has been scary to think about all of the people I love who are at higher risk for severe illness with covid-19. I wish I could spend more time with them because I am scared that this virus might take them away from me, but I continue to practice social distancing for their own safety. It is very hard to build up the focus to continue doing my school work. The other day I was working on my connect assignments for this class while the news played in the background that Italian soldiers were seen carrying large numbers of coffins to accommodate those who died from covid-19. In other news, the news channel that we watch at home, Univison, had an employee test positive for covid-19. They were forced to evacuate the building, yet they continued to film from the parking lot in order to deliver the news to the Spanish speaking public. This article has more information about it. This pandemic has created a new environment that people around the world are being forced to adjust to.
My family is fortunate enough that we don’t have any financial issues yet because my dad is considered an essential worker. However, there is always a possibility that they might lay off some workers at his job. I am very upset with the government’s aid plan because they ignore many groups of people; my parents are among one of the ignored groups. It opened up my eyes to a harsh reality I knew existed; they accept the labor of workers with an ITIN number, but they deny them of any resources even in a global pandemic. Undocumented immigrants are accepted only as workers and not as human beings who have needs.
Working from home has many distractions in addition to the fact that we are experiencing a global pandemic. I am trying to keep some form of consistency throughout my days to stay on track such as waking up and going to bed around the same time and using a planner. One of my main motivators is the fact that I cannot pass or fail MCRO 251 because I plan on applying to the nursing school next fall. It is extremely hard to maintain focus when there is so much going on in my life: I’m continuing my work-study job from home to help with any costs, I have a million assignments from all of my online classes, I am uncertain how long my dad will keep his job, I have to maintain a good GPA in order to apply to Nursing school, and I have many loved ones who are in the high risk of severe illness category. However, I continue to do my part to prevent the spread of covid-19. I am aware that my situation could be a lot worse, and I try to remain thankful for the things I have. I am very thankful for the health care workers who are risking their lives during these hard times.
Lucero Rocha MCRO 251 