Syracuse grapples with COVID’s impact one year into pandemic
COVID in the Community
The COVID-19 pandemic that has continued in 2021 is a paradox: It is a universal event most of us experienced, to some extent, alone. After a siloed summer and a relative easing of cases during autumn, the country endured a serious rise in coronavirus cases just as the first vaccines began being administered. At Syracuse University, students, staff and faculty have spent a full academic year on a campus that was masked, distanced and different.
Inspired by The Washington Post’s “Voices from the Pandemic” series by Newhouse alumnus Eli Saslow, students in this year’s Reporting courses interviewed members of our community about their lives as COVID-19 took hold.
Documenting the stories of people in our community who lived through this time is the unique privilege of modern journalists. Journalism will help us remember what we lived through, together and apart.
The Funeral Director
Marie Farone is the funeral director and co-owner of Farone & Son Funeral Home in Syracuse.
The High School Teacher
COVID in the Community: Joe Bennett is a physics teacher at Nottingham High School in Syracuse.
The Entrepreneur
Adam Sudmann is a restaurant manager in Syracuse.
The Worm Lady
COVID in the Community: Dottie Brill is an SU student who worked at a local bug farm in Pennsylvania to keep busy during the pandemic.
The Political Activist
COVID in the Community: Noah Goldmann is an SU student who worked on a Senate campaign last year.
The TikTok Star
Tessa Pulgar is a Syracuse University student and musician.
The Overseas Professor
COVID in the Community: SU Professor Brian Brege was a fellow at Harvard’s Villa I Tatti Institute in Florence when COVID-19 hit.
The Wardrobe Stylist
Jackie Terribile is the founder of The Small Town Stylist.
The Restauranteur
COVID in the Community: Alec Hefke is a Rochester restaurant owner.
The Safety Net
COVID in the Community: Michael Collins is commissioner of the Syracuse Department of Neighborhood and Business Development.
