How Students Are Adapting to Life During a Pandemic

Yoga, knitting and family game night are helping some Duke students navigate an uncertain time

Global health master’s student Grace Lowitzer leads virtual yoga sessions from home. Jacob Stocks spends lots of time in his comfy home office.

By By Brianna Rochelle

Published April 13, 2020, last updated on July 27, 2020 under Education News

The past few weeks have been full of change in the Duke community as the university has responded to the coronavirus pandemic. Faculty, students and staff have been working from home, while classes and other meetings have been moved to online platforms such as Zoom. DGHI’s Brianna Rochelle caught up with a few students to see how they’ve adapted to this shift in working and learning. 

Molly Mendoza

Mendoza, a junior co-majoring in global health and international comparative studies, has been working from her family’s home in Bradenton, Fla. While it’s been an adjustment to be away from friends and do her schoolwork at home, Mendoza is choosing to focus on the positive side of things.

“I’m home with my family and can enjoy the nice weather here,” Mendoza says. She also takes comfort in being able to communicate with friends via social media and FaceTime. 

All of Mendoza’s classes utilize Zoom, though some also use platforms like Slack and Piazza. While some aspects of the courses are changed or lost due to the online format, Mendoza says the transition has been surprisingly smooth.

“My professors have all offered an organized and updated syllabus for the rest of the semester that helps to keep things in order. It can be a bit hard to focus on my school work when my family members are bustling about the house, so I have found that working at night is a bit easier,” Mendoza says.

She also shared that writing in a physical planner and keeping a checklist help her to maintain a sense of control. 

Jacob Stocks

Second-year global health master’s student Jacob Stocks has leaned heavily on Zoom for maintaining communication with peers and professors.

“Between class, TA responsibilities and connecting with fellow students, I usually have about five to seven different calls each day,” Stocks says. “It's been a pretty stressful time, but has definitely demonstrated how well faculty, staff and students can work together toward a common goal.”

Stocks also used Zoom to defend his master’s thesis. “I'm the kind of person who talks with their hands and I often point to the board or screen when presenting, so it took some practice to get used to the online format,” he explains.

It helped him to be able to practice the Zoom format with a few fellow students prior to the defense. Stocks and his peers did run-throughs of the presentation via Zoom, which allowed him to work out issues like screen sharing, camera presence and transitioning between slides.

“While I was disappointed that I wasn't able to share my defense with everyone in person, the presentation itself went well. Lots of family members, friends and peers were all able to attend, which, for many of them, likely wouldn't have been possible if it had been in person,” Stocks says. 

Mikayla Lyons

In addition to classes, certain student groups and activities have moved online. Close-Knit, a knitting group sponsored by DuWell, now meets every Wednesday over Zoom. Mikayla Lyons, a junior majoring in Linguistics, is very grateful for the continued meetings.

“Knitting has been one of my support systems since the beginning of the semester,” she says, noting that knitting together online made it a little harder to converse because everyone was looking at their work and not the screen. But she is still able to focus on her project and enjoy the company of others. 

Lyons was approved to remain in her room on West Campus, which alleviated a lot of stress about food, housing and belongings. And it has enabled her to continue concentrating on her classes. She had some apprehension about attending class remotely, and worried that she would fall behind due to the lack of structure. So far, though, Lyons has adapted to the changes well, making it a point to leave her room at least once a day and writing in her journal to cope.

CJ Cruz

While some students take comfort in existing groups such as Close-Knit, others are making spaces of their own to adapt. CJ Cruz, a senior studying psychology, theater, and documentary studies, was in Los Angeles for a Duke study-away program when the university made the announcement. The Duke in LA program is centered around guest speakers within the entertainment industry and visits to organizations in the area.

“The digital translation of that curriculum has necessitated the loss of a lot of what made the program worthwhile, but I’m thankful for what’s still intact,” says Cruz, who returned home from Los Angeles to Virginia Beach. Speakers generously remain willing to talk with the cohort via Zoom, he added.

At home, Cruz and his family play Catan every day. He thought their gameplay would provide an outlet and entertainment for other students and fans of the game, so he started livestreaming his family’s game night on the “All Duke” Facebook page.

“If anybody watches the streams and gets a brief escape from the stress of everything that’s going on, or is reassured by the fact that the world is still spinning and families are still playing board games, then that’s a win in my book!” Cruz said. 

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CJ Cruz

If anybody watches the streams and gets a brief escape... or is reassured by the fact that the world is still spinning and families are still playing board games, then that’s a win in my book.

CJ Cruz, Duke senior
Grace Lowitzer

First-year global health master’s student Grace Lowitzer also opened up her home in Southern Pines, N.C., to her peers; she leads a yoga session over Zoom with the help of her husband.

“After eight years in the Army and multiple deployments, I have found ways to cope with circumstances outside of my control. This is mainly why I have always practiced yoga and now teach yoga,” Lowitzer says.

Her motivation for providing the yoga livestream through Zoom is to offer a moment of peace and calm to DGHI staff and classmates.

“Right now, everything seems so uncertain; there is a lot of anxiety, fear, and even disappointment. So hopefully yoga helped ease their minds, even if it was just for an hour. I also find that yoga is an easy way to take care of yourself and your mind.” Lowitzer plans on doing a yoga livestream every Tuesday at 7pm. 

Although this time has been one of stress and uncertainty for people everywhere, students have found a number of ways to cope and maintain important relationships, no matter where they are in the world. To quote from an email President Price sent the night before online classes began, “Whether we are far from campus, or nearby, Duke’s bonds have never been stronger than they are in the face of these great challenges. I have never been prouder to be a part of the Duke community.”

If you’re a Duke student and you’d like to share your story with us — where you’re spending your time off campus, how you cope or are struggling to cope — and any other thoughts or comments, please write to the us at globalhealthduke@gmail.com.