With the onset of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown, the extended NYSID community of students, faculty, alumni, and supporters have had to adjust how they learn, educate, work, and live.  We thought it would be interesting to hear from various community members about their experience, and in some cases, their advice.  First up, Niranjana Menon, a graduate student in NYSID’s MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments program.

Hi I’m Niranjana! I live in Times Square, and I’m currently pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments at NYSID. I’ve been invited to post a three-part blog over the next several weeks about my experience during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Another Saturday had just arrived, I didn’t realize how big of a difference this day would bring. My usual routine of waking up at 6 in the morning, preparing breakfast and packing lunch, dressing up just to be on time for my studio at 9 AM was now on hold as a new life and new routine started with the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown. Now I found myself waking up an hour earlier than before to attend classes right in the comfort of my apartment in my pajamas. I find it relaxing to make myself a cup of coffee before logging onto Zoom to start attending the classes in a new way.

My first day in a Zoom classroom felt a bit desperate, as I found my focus diverted by a variety of things – various sirens outside (routine these days in Times Square), constantly muting and unmuting my microphone only to find that the right moment to join the conversation had already passed. Endless bathroom visits continued with unnecessary coffee breaks on and on. Texting on my laptop, sending mails and checking classmates’ room décor were the new engagements for the rest of the day. I doubt this phenomenon was unique only to me. Suddenly, I started imagining Zoom classrooms and offices around the world experiencing similar challenges of focus. It was fun in the beginning to see all the known faces who suddenly seemed different. A laid back and no makeup version seemingly looked nicer and more natural. Everyone appeared closer and more realistic.

The World Health Organization’s designation of the novel coronavirus as a pandemic on March 11, resulted in universities across America shutting down to slow its spread. The University of Washington took the lead, canceling all in-person classes, with a wave of universities across the country following suit. The biggest relief for me is that by fine-tuning the existing distant learning programs, establishing in-class video conferences, and providing immense IT support, NYSID has definitely been in command of the knowledge transfer required to help its technologically advanced student community meld to this shift to virtual classrooms, easier and faster than its counterparts across the globe.

Life needs to continue for everyone, even as people at different levels and different roles are paused for a second. There are many students from all over the world who, like me, are here to learn the nuances of the subject they have selected. We do not have the time or option to reconsider the decision we made to invest the time, money, and effort to make our dreams a reality.

This is an extraordinarily challenging time for all of us academically, socially, and emotionally. We need to be 100% optimistic that this time will pass. While there are emotional issues to cope with, given the sudden change to our world, we’ll find the strength to accomplish our goals.

To be continued….