What has brought you the most joy OR been your biggest challenge during the pandemic?
In this time of great distance and change, both physical and emotional, the experience of loss in one form or another seems woven into each of our unique experiences. However, those who have endured times of great hardship before us often seem to recall the bright moments that made life worth living despite it all.
One thing we, as college students, have lost is the proximity of our fellow New Schoolers. It seems fair to say that The New School in particular offers its students refuge, a community of wildly unique yet similarly “weird” individuals. We at The New School Free Press were inspired by the online communities built by the likes of Humans of New York, Tiny Love Stories and CoronaVirus Confessions. Perhaps we can dig even deeper into how our unique experiences inform who we are, what we value and why we all ended up at The New School by exploring what has defined our COVID experiences.
Send in your submissions to New School Diaries here.
Content Warning: This series may, at times, discusses depression and suicide. If you or a loved one struggle with this, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Other resources include:
- NYC Well – text “WELL” to 65173, call 1-888-NYC-WELL (692-9355) or use this chat feature to ask for help.
- NAMI (Nation Alliance on Mental Illness) helpline – 1-800-950-NAMI or in a crisis, text “NAMI” to 741741.
- And the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Brooke Cullen
Junior at The New School
Studying Journalism + Design
Currently living in Williamsburg
COVID was a blessing in disguise. I was very accustomed to a fast paced lifestyle pre-COVID. When I was finally forced to slow down and actually spend some time with myself I realized I needed to make some changes. COVID forced me to reevaluate who I am and what I want from this world. I walked away from some friendships that were no longer serving a positive purpose in my life. I fell in love and left him behind to move back to New York and go back to school. I feel it’s safe to say that one thing COVID has taught me is that life moves on, no matter what is happening in the world around you.
Illustration by Rebecca Mesonjnik