Many young adults have been staying home with family, because of COVID-19 and the financial issues the pandemic has brought with it.
Four young adults in the area are in this position: one of them was going to school in Vermont when the outbreak happened, another just graduated from an out-of-state school and has returned home.
Lastly, a postgraduate couple was working in the gig economy before the virus hit and changed their course.
Sarah McNamara, and Austin Borst
Sarah McNamara and Austin Borst, both 23, graduated from the University of Michigan last year and were living in Ann Arbor.
McNamara had been building sets for museums and theaters, while Borst was working as a substitute teacher.
McNamara said she tried to work in her living room when she couldn’t go out but her living room proved to be a challenging workspace.
“So we kind of looked at the money situation and we were like, this isn’t gonna last.” McNamara said,
So – they drove across the country to Vermont.
“Instead of staying in a hotel we slept in the car and packed food ahead of time. We stopped only for gas, pretty much,”McNamara said.
She and Borst described how the atmosphere changed once they were in Vermont: while people who didn’t wear masks in Michigan did so to show their defiance, Vermonters seemed to do so out of being nonchalance.
“They were a little more respectful about giving space, which was nice to see.” McNamara said.
Borst has felt grateful for the opportunity to stay with his girlfriend’s parents.
“It’s funny because we spent less time with each other for the first week because we had the space to be alone.” Borst said.
Owen Clark
Owen Clark, 21, was attending St. Michael’s College as a sophomore when the coronavirus led to a longer than expected spring break.
“A bunch of universities were saying they were closing up for the remainder of the semester so it dawned at me that the corona virus was going to be a problem.” he said.
He brought home most of his stuff for spring break and retrieved the rest of it in May.
He said he was fine living at home, but there were some things he missed.
“I don’t really mind living with my parents.” he said, “I’m just bummed out by not being able to see my friends that are somewhat like minded and similar in age.”
He said that he was video chatting with his friends daily and staying mentally active.
“When my mind trails off and catastrophizes, I remember that it’s important to take a step back and stay in a sober mindset.”
Olivia White
Student Olivia White, 22, lives with her mother in northern Vermont along the Canadian border.
She said it was hard to balance priorities as her last semester was ending at Wheaton College in Massachusetts.
“It was really hard to balance applying for jobs while finishing all my classes and taking my finals and saying goodbye to all my professors and friends while being stuck at home with my mom,” she said.
She and her mom had been getting along well, but worried about neighbors from out of state and people at the grocery store that didn’t wear masks.
White retrieved her school things with her mom, who is immune compromised, meaning White was unable to make the rounds around campus to say goodbye to everyone.
“I spent maybe thirty minutes just quickly packing up my room and saying goodbye to everyone,” she said.
“It was really hard because I had to rush and I don’t know when I’m going to see them again.”
Jean MacBride 