Wisconsin Stories

Maya Butler, 28, is a college-educated entrepreneur born in Milwaukee. She received her bachelor’s degree in criminology and law studies from Marquette University in 2015, and attended graduate school at Howard University in 2017. She realized long before the pandemic that the system in the United States was not built fairly, to benefit the people […]

Mason Schoof, 21, is a fourth-year civil engineering student at UW-Milwaukee. During the pandemic, Schoof worked at Walmart in his hometown of Muskego. Schoof gained perspective on the gravity of the pandemic through his experiences there. Natalie Hey: What was working like during the pandemic? Mason Schoof: Sometimes it was nice because we would close […]

Olivia Overend, 22, was a hostess and training to be a waitress at the Wausau restaurant Great Dane Pub and Brewery when COVID-19 forced nationwide shutdowns. Before that, she worked for campus catering at UW-Oshkosh, which she quit when she transferred to University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Then, during the pandemic, she transferred again to University […]

Cullen Wilson, 24, is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand. He started the immigration process in the United States in January of 2020 and got married a month later. What seemed to start as a year of endless possibilities soon became a horror as the COVID-19 pandemic grasped the world. As Wilson’s immigration process progressed and […]

Mark Cole, 22, is a student at UW-Milwaukee. His major is business, and he will graduate in spring. When the pandemic started, he was not looking for a job. That decision quickly changed. Q- Jamous Powell: What is your current job and what is it like working during the pandemic? A- Mark Cole: I currently […]

David Kotke, 58, has been a bartender his whole life. When the pandemic hit, his bar closed permanently. For the first time in a long time, he was left without a clue of what came next. David was planning to retire from that same bar in a few years time. He was unemployed through most […]

Reide Pearson, 20, studies film at Columbia College Chicago, but the pandemic forced her to move back home to a suburb of St. Louis and pick up a job at a retailer. Now she’s back in Chicago and has reflected on work during the pandemic, as well as work in general. Q Hunter Turpin: While […]

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Luca Bidini, 20, is currently in his second year as a political science major at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. After losing his job and transferring schools, Luca shares his insight on the pandemic from the perspective of America’s neighbor to the north. Q – Hunter Rogers: Did You have […]

Samantha Krueger, known by friends and family as Sam, is a 21-year-old student at UW-Milwaukee studying History. She lost her old campus job when the pandemic started, but now she has a new job mentoring first-year students, and is very passionate about it. Callie Donavan: Did you apply for unemployment during the pandemic? I was […]

Maddie McGraw, 20, is a full-time time student at UW-Madison. Her new job at the school’s COVID-19 Isolation Housing Center is a stark contrast to the solitary landscaping position she held at the start of the pandemic. Though this time has brought many changes, she appreciates the break landscaping gave her and has found new […]

Mihail Yankov, 22, is in his last semester at UW-Madison. After the pandemic caused some complications with his school and career path, he found himself reflecting on what is important. With graduation a couple months away and a job secured, he is eager to take on the next chapter. Grant Sanger: What is your current […]

Ryan Rhode, 21, is employed and a full-time student at UW-Milwaukee. He is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering while working part time at the Aldi warehouse in Oak Creek. (Courtney Bondar) Could you tell me what it’s like to be employed during the pandemic? (Rhode) It’s very interesting because at work you have to […]