Relationships – Alyssa Weinstein, 21

byMaya Vela

Alyssa Weinstein, a University of Texas student from Austin, shares the troubles of being quarantined separately from her boyfriend of almost one full year. She shares her troubles about how she might need to spend her one year anniversary in quarantine and what the stay-at-home order has done to help improve their relationship as a […]

Relationships – Chris Morphis, 22

byMaya Vela

4. Unlike many who are dealing with the sudden change of being quarantined separately with their significant other, Chris Morphis, a University of Texas student from Austin, shares how his already long-distance relationship with his girlfriend who lives in Kyrgyzstan, has been impacted positively by the Covid-19 Pandemic. “We were already long distance to begin […]

Relationships in a Pandemic

byMaya Vela

Many of the people forced into quarantine by Covid-19 found themselves back with their families or staying home alone. Relationships are an important factor in our everyday lives but what happens when your interactions are limited to a screen? Relationships in a Pandemic seeks to find how different romantic and familial relationships are taking to […]

Farmers – Tom Kelley, 55

byTravis Hlavinka

Tom Kelley, a farmer, rancher and crop insurance agent from Eagle Lake, Texas–67 miles west of Houston–goes in-depth about the ins and outs of the agricultural industry during the time of the Coronavirus. Kelley is one of the few people whose scope encompasses both sides of the commodities market. Kelley examined the current futures market […]

Farmers – Rodney Jedlicka, 41

byTravis Hlavinka

Rodney Jedlicka is the current president of the Wharton County Youth Fair, Livestock Show & Rodeo. Jedlicka got emotional when talking about the process of deciding to cancel the fair: “It’s been really hard. It was a tough deal for me, whenever we were making the decisions as a fair organization, me being the president […]

Farmers – Michael Goudeau, 47

byTravis Hlavinka

Michael Goudeau of Goudeau Farms is a farmer and rancher who specializes in breeding Brahman cattle and distributing them across the western hemisphere. Goudeau describes how his purebred cattle market took a hit in the wake of Covid-19: “On the purebred side—we sell purebred genetics, so we sell a lot of bulls that go back […]

Farmers – Kenneth Hlavinka, 52

byTravis Hlavinka

Kenneth Hlavinka, a farmer of cotton, rice, sorghum, corn and soybeans discusses the impact that the Coronavirus has had on the farming industry, including overseas trade with China, and the impact of the virus on agricultural equipment sales in the United States. Hlavinka also details the current commodity situation: “Cotton and corn have really been […]

Farmers – Jayson Hill, 38

byTravis Hlavinka

Jayson Hill teaches agriculture classes at East Bernard High School and East Bernard Junior High School, 50 miles west of Houston. He is also head of the East Bernard Future Farmers of America. Hill details the struggle that 2020 has been with the cancellation of local and large-market cattle exhibitions and the impact that they […]

Farmers in a Pandemic

byTravis Hlavinka

Growing up in an agricultural community, I’ve seen countless problems inflicted upon the farming and ranching industry where I live. From droughts to hurricanes, I’ve experienced the highs and lows of the economics involved with the production of agricultural-related goods and how those economics affect daily life all across the United States. Being the son […]

Weddings – Daniela Rosiles, 25

byLindsey Logan

Daniela Rosiles of El Paso was supposed to have a wedding celebration in Mexico with 300 of her friends and family members in mid-March. Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, the celebration has been postponed indefinitely and Rosiles has had to grieve the loss of her dream day, unsure when it will take place in the […]

Weddings – Michelle Doyon, 44

byLindsey Logan

Michelle Doyon has owned Michelle’s Patisserie for the past 17 years. When a Stay-at-Home Order was issued for the City of Austin, she saw a 90 percent drop in her business and had to find new ways to make income and serve the members of her community. “We had to shift our frame of mind […]

Weddings – Alyssa Johnson, 23

byLindsey Logan

Alyssa Johnson is a wedding photographer and Texas A&M University college student. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Johnson has moved home with her family in Austin, Texas and watched her business suffer with dozens of rescheduled and canceled weddings. She remains positive and hopes to show her clients support and flexibility during this time. “We just […]

Weddings – Dawson Clark

byLindsey Logan

Dawson Clark has been in the process of building his venue, HighPointe Estate, for the past couple years. The venue was set to officially open at the end of March but is now estimated to lose approximately a quarter of a million dollars in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “Love people through this challenging […]

Weddings – Simply XO – Jordyn Zanin, 25 and Alexis Parmentier, 25

byLindsey Logan

Alexis Parmentier and Jordyn Zanin co-own Simply XO Events in Austin. They offer planning and coordinating services for weddings and since the coronavirus outbreak in March, the two have had 35 clients reschedule their weddings. Despite these circumstances, they remain optimistic and are actively helping their clients book new dates and vendors. “It’s a different […]

Weddings in a Pandemic

byLindsey Logan

The coronavirus pandemic put a halt to many large events and gatherings, including weddings. Postponements and cancellations had a major impact on couples preparing for their big day as well as many business owners who rely on weddings to make their living. Here are some of their stories.   Return to the Life in a […]

Community Heroes – Cynthia Lopez, 26

byTehya Rassman

Cynthia Lopez of Mission, Texas, is a receiving clerk who does inventory control at Essity. She started making masks for her friends and family and soon began making them for others in the community when word spread about what she was doing. “I started doing it for friends or for the community because if one […]

Community Heroes – Norma Castillo, 82

byTehya Rassman

Norma Castillo of Mission, Texas, lived in Bataan province in the Philippines during World War II when she was a little girl. Later in life, she worked as a seamstress at a Singer sewing factory. Castillo uses her sewing skills to make masks for physical therapists and patients at her daughter Annie Marie Esguerra’s clinic, […]

Community Heroes – Vanessa Paiz, 28

byTehya Rassman

Vanessa Paiz of Edinburg, Texas, recently opened a baby clothing shop called Butterfly Visions. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, she has put her business aside to make affordable masks for her family and the community. “I don’t think people should be taking advantage of the situation. Right now I’m charging the four (dollars) and a lot […]

Community Heroes – Yenisley Martí, 35

byTehya Rassman

Yenisley Martí is Cuban-American who works as a fashion designer for her shop, Fashion and Designs, in The Woodlands, Texas. She began making masks for her community in March and has already made around 10,000 masks. In this video, her husband Luigi Luperini Davila speaks for her because she isn’t fluent in English. “We really […]

Community Heroes – Adrian Gutierrez, 36

byTehya Rassman

Adrián Gutiérrez is a documentary producer in Monterrey, Mexico, who makes his own films, does freelance work, and occasionally does work for the BBC. On Feb. 7 Gutiérrez was in a motorcycle accident, so he was recovering at home in early quarantine. He wanted to help healthcare providers working with COVID-19 patients, so he started […]