In the midst of the COVID crisis, uncertainty has been rife within the lives of all. However, for students at Universities around the globe, COVID has meant that their school schedules, exam schedules, and even their ability to complete internships or gain experience in other locations have been altered, cancelled or suspended for the foreseeable future. 500 Women Scientists leadership member Rosie Dutt (RD) had the opportunity to speak with a few students — Demetra Willams (DW), Katrina Lyon (KL), and Samantha Will (SW) — around North America to understand the implications of the pandemic on their research and careers.
RD: What do you study?
DW: I am a biological science major with a concentration in ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell.
KL: I just obtained my degree in Microbiology, Medical Laboratory Science concentration, from Montana State University.
SW: I am a rising junior studying Environment & Sustainability at Cornell University with a concentration in land, air, and water resources.
RD: How did COVID affect you?
DW: I was set to be an intern at Cornell's Biological Field Station at Shackleton Point over the summer period. The role was a mixture of field and lab work where I would assist a graduate student working on fish and copepods. This 10-week internship would have started at the end of May and end in August. Thereafter, I would participate in Cornell's undergraduate symposium to present our findings in the fall semester. Following the shutdown of Cornell’s campus in mid-March, I was told I could not complete the internship position this summer but was offered the position for Summer of 2021.
Katrina Lyon
KL: Before the pandemic, I was juggling being a full-time student, full-time manager at a local grocery store, and a part-time research assistant. For years, I had been looking forward to the opportunity to respectfully bow out of my retail job and pursue science full-time. In my final semester of my five years as an undergrad, this seemed well within reach until the pandemic hit. My research was shut down and I was taking classes out of my living room. Suddenly, I felt trapped in my retail job because I was desperately needed there more than ever, and I was not certain that I would even get to begin graduate school at all. I worked through the pandemic, and I would describe that experience as a figurative nightmare. Finally, I got the much-awaited email from my PI telling me that I could come back to work on May 15th.
SW: As a member of the women's basketball team I was looking forward to the postseason, coming off of a very long and tiring winter season. But due to COVID, my college life was uprooted, and I was forced to move back to my childhood home and spent the next 3 months in quarantine.
RD: What was the impact on your education and future career path?
DW: I am not sure what I want my future career to look like, and I was hoping that this internship would enable me to immerse myself in ecology and field work to see if this is the field of science I would like to study and work in – but I was unable to do so.
KL: Before the pandemic, I was also a recipient of MSU's Presidential Emerging Scholars Award. This award was to fund my trip to Chicago for the American Gastroenterological Association conference in early May, where I would be presenting my research. Having never been to a conference before, this was just one of two conferences that I was set to present at this past Spring. When both of these were cancelled, I tried to spend my award money on a course in LA through the American Association of Immunologists, but this was cancelled as well. Next attempt was the Mucosal Immunology Course and Symposium in Denver — also cancelled.
SW: It was severely difficult to maintain motivation during the 5 weeks of online instruction. I was bored and often clicked through lecture videos and slides just to finish my work for the day. My professors did their best, but I really missed in-person lecturing and discussions. I had lined up an internship with Delaware State Parks as an Environmental Steward where I would be treating invasive species and maintaining aspects of the parks. I was looking forward to living in a new location and doing outdoor field work.
RD: Did you manage to find an alternative?
DW: I did not find employment or volunteer opportunities in ecology, which is disappointing. But I did manage to find myself a summer job which enabled me to make money.
KL: Some of the opportunities that I missed out on were offered in an alternative online format, but I still had to sprinkle my CV with "cancelled due to COVID" here and there.
SW: My supervisor for the internship contacted me a week or so before my projected start date to inform me that the housing option for the internship would no longer be available due to COVID. With no housing, I was unable to attend the internship and spent the next few weeks scrambling to find a job. I was lucky enough to find a position as a Seasonal Sales Associate at a local nursery and also picked up a few shifts as a Lake Host where I monitor boat launches of local lakes in New Hampshire and ensure that the boats do not bring invasive species into the lakes.
RD: How did this experience impact your mental health?
Demetra Williams
DW: When I was first notified that the internship was cancelled, I was really sad for a few days. I really wanted this internship and I was so nervous throughout the whole interviewing process back in February. I am a person who likes to know what's going to happen — I like to have a plan. And to have my plan disrupted and cancelled was really discouraging because I didn't know what to do next.
KL: The pandemic was very difficult on my mental health. The first two weeks after the university shut down, it was really difficult for me to get out of bed. I also struggled with my identity a little bit. I was ready to put the grocery store behind me and finally do research full time, but the shutdown of my research really dragged me into the hopeless mindset that perhaps I was never meant to move on, and I was right where I needed to be. My self-esteem has always relied pretty heavily on being needed. Of course, this was a time where my store needed me the most and so I had a sense of purpose in that area. However, I was not considered to be essential in the field that I so badly wanted to be working in. That was really tough for me and I didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel.
SW: I am sad to stay in New Hampshire for the summer, I was really looking forward to meeting new people from different places at this internship.
It is fair to say the pandemic has affected everyone in ways that were unimaginable at the start of this new decade. However, as we gradually become used to the new way of life, we need to implement ways in which we can ensure we maintain positive mental and physical well-being, alongside exploring new opportunities to bring us one step closer towards our goals. Below are a list of resources which can help you through this uncertain time:
WHO #HealthyAtHome - General advices from the World Health Organization.
Active Minds - Resources which can be used to support yourself and the community.
Equity In Mental Health - 10 recommendations and implementation strategies to help inform and strengthen mental health and program for students of color.
American College Health Association - National nonprofit which serves as the voice for student health and wellness.
JED Foundation - Nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide in teens and young adults.
Marie Christie Foundation - Thought leadership organization dedicated to improving the behavioral health of teens and young adults.
The Steve Fund - Promotes mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color as they transition into higher education and the workforce.