{"id":19479,"date":"2020-06-22T15:17:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-22T15:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=19479&post_type=story"},"modified":"2022-03-10T18:44:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T18:44:00","slug":"to-capture-a-moment","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/to-capture-a-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"To Capture a Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer 2020 | By Laura J. Cole<\/em><\/p>\n

[lead]It’s the year 2120, and a museum is putting\u00a0together an exhibition in memory of the\u00a0centennial of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0You have to select an artifact to include in\u00a0the exhibition that best encapsulates what\u00a0this moment in time was really like. The\u00a0only stipulation: You can’t choose anything\u00a0medical, such as a face mask. What do you\u00a0choose and why?[\/lead]<\/p>\n

That is the question instructor Kevin Mitchell\u00a0Mercer ’12 ’17MA<\/strong> posed to students in two sections\u00a0of his U.S. History: 1877 to Present<\/em> course as part\u00a0of an extra credit assignment. The assignment was\u00a0intended to get students to think about history<\/a> a little\u00a0differently: as someone who’s actively living through\u00a0a moment that defines an epoch.<\/p>\n

“The results are moving and heartbreaking,” Mercer\u00a0said in a series of tweets about the assignment that\u00a0went viral. “Collectively, they show young lives in\u00a0disruption.”<\/p>\n

Answers ranged from the glass doors through which\u00a0students were forced to interact with loved ones to\u00a0things left unfinished, such as half-empty course\u00a0notebooks and used Scantrons.<\/p>\n

We asked students in the course permission to share their answers. Here is a sampling of their selections.<\/p>\n

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[photo id=”19867″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-we-puzzle” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Jigsaw Puzzles<\/h2>\n

Emma Cahill<\/strong>
\nHospitality Management<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Who would’ve thought that jigsaw puzzles would become a hot commodity? So many people are turning to this almost outdated pastime that places such as Target, Walmart and even Amazon are selling out of them.<\/p>\n

I have always loved doing puzzles, but usually I don’t have time to complete them. Now I have all the time in the world, and I’ve completed about seven puzzles. My mom has been posting the puzzles I complete on Facebook, and her friends are responding with the ones they’ve completed \u2014 even offering to leave some on their porch so I can grab them. It’s become a way to connect us while we try and fill our days with something that doesn’t always involve a screen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[photo id=”19869″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-chair” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Office Chair<\/h3>\n

Korinna Perez-Nunez<\/strong>
\nE<\/strong>ntertainment Management<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

If I had to choose one thing to represent the\u00a0pandemic, I would pick my office chair. I use it way\u00a0more than I used to. It’s where I spend the entirety\u00a0of my day while I do my online homework and work.\u00a0Every time I look at this chair now, I think about\u00a0turning my laptop on and getting started with my\u00a0new daily routine.<\/p>\n

I think that many others would feel the same way\u00a0about their home workspaces since they’re most\u00a0likely getting used more now than ever.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[photo id=”19870″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-clock” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Analog Clock<\/h3>\n

Narvin Chhay<\/strong>
\nSport and Exercise Science<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

For my artifact, I would probably choose the big analog\u00a0clock in my living room. This is mostly a symbolic\u00a0artifact, but I feel like it represents a lot of the feelings\u00a0I have dealt with over the course of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

I was having the time of my life my sophomore year.\u00a0Then, just like that, the clock stopped and everything\u00a0in our world was put on pause, but we are still losing\u00a0time. This is the best way I can explain the feeling.<\/p>\n

The most valuable thing we have in our lives is time.\u00a0Most of my questions about the pandemic are in regard\u00a0to it. When will this end? When can we go back to life\u00a0as it was before? Will I still be done with college in two\u00a0more years or will it now take longer? Hopefully, most\u00a0of us have a long life ahead of us, where we will have\u00a0countless hours of time to spend learning, growing and\u00a0experiencing as much in life as we can.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[photo id=”19874″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-ticket” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Airplane Ticket<\/h3>\n

Gibran Khalil<\/strong>
\nElectrical Engineering<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I would include my flight ticket back home.\u00a0International travel has been suspended, so I\u00a0can’t go back home. The only way I could get back\u00a0home if I wanted to is to violate my F1 Visa and\u00a0get deported back to Aruba, my home country.\u00a0It sucks that I can’t physically go to where my\u00a0family is, and I’ve struggled to stay motivated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[photo id=”19871″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-grad” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
\n

Graduation Cap and Prom Dress<\/h3>\n

Natalie Nguyen<\/strong>
\nPolitical Science<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The artifacts that I would choose to represent\u00a0the pandemic are a graduation cap and a prom\u00a0dress, which represent the celebration of the end\u00a0of one journey and the beginning of a new one.\u00a0I was fortunate to experience both my prom and\u00a0high school graduation, although I have close\u00a0friends who have lost both opportunities.<\/p>\n

My heart goes out to all who have died and to\u00a0those who are still suffering from this disease.\u00a0But my heart also goes out to those who have\u00a0lost experiences, friendships and the close to\u00a0important chapters in their lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[photo id=”19873″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-telephone” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Wall Phone<\/h3>\n

Jan Soto Aceved<\/strong>
\nPolitical Science<\/strong><\/p>\n

I would select an antique, disconnected\u00a0wall phone. My mom works for a healthcare<\/a>\u00a0provider for the elderly and hearing her calls\u00a0with patients breaks my heart because they are\u00a0a population that is currently suffering from\u00a0this pandemic, even if they are not infected\u00a0with COVID-19. They can’t as easily access\u00a0groceries and medicine, and they are struggling\u00a0with depression and immense economic debt\u00a0due to the pandemic. For this reason, the\u00a0antique, disconnected wall phone signifies the\u00a0anxiety that’s put upon this particular group\u00a0of people in this time of need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[photo id=”19868″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-books” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
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Books<\/h3>\n

Alexis Robinson<\/strong>
\nEnglish<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

During this time, I’ve found myself reading\u00a0more than usual and I’ve noticed that other\u00a0people have been reading more to pass the time\u00a0as well. Books have been something that most\u00a0of us have taken for granted and haven’t really\u00a0paid much attention to, as with most of the arts\u00a0in general. However, with the current state of\u00a0things, items like books are what are keeping us\u00a0sane during quarantines and lockdowns. It’s also\u00a0surprising how many books are based around\u00a0events like this, ones that we all believed would\u00a0never be realistic. In a way these books are\u00a0marking our reality through their fictional tales.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[photo id=”19875″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-tweet” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
\n

Tweets About NBA Suspension<\/h3>\n

Javal Brooks<\/strong>
\nComputer Science<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

During spring break, my friend and I drove\u00a0to Miami to watch the Miami Heat play the\u00a0Charlotte Hornets. Since COVID-19 was in the\u00a0news, we were able to get great seats for a cheap\u00a0price. During the fourth quarter of the game,\u00a0I checked Twitter and saw multiple tweets with\u00a0the news that NBA commissioner Adam Silver\u00a0had decided to suspend the season. Seeing those\u00a0tweets during the middle of the game made me\u00a0feel like I was in an episode of The Twilight Zone<\/em>. Sadly, the Heat lost that game, but I didn’t even\u00a0care about the outcome after I saw those tweets.\u00a0I was just stunned that the season was over.\u00a0I remember driving home and feeling like I was\u00a0in the middle of history. It was a bittersweet\u00a0moment for me and truly a moment in history\u00a0I’d love to share.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

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[photo id=”19872″ title=”ToCaptureAMoment-web-sanitizer” alt=”” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/div>\n
\n

Hand Sanitizer<\/h3>\n

Maliyah Tillman<\/strong>
\nHealth Sciences<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Hand sanitizer has become a sacred item for\u00a0many individuals. The hysteria of the pandemic\u00a0caused several people to buy it in bulk, hoping\u00a0that these tiny bottles of hand sanitizer that kill\u00a099.9 percent of germs would protect them from\u00a0the dangers of this world.<\/p>\n

I found myself in the very same situation of\u00a0desperation, surveilling the stores, hoping to get\u00a0lucky and score myself some hand sanitizer. I was\u00a0among the lucky to find a lone bottle, waiting for\u00a0the last greedy hand to take it off the shelf. That\u00a0single bottle is now a symbol for this generation\u00a0\u2014 a means of protection, security and consumer\u00a0desperation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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