“Before covid started, I had an entirely different vision of what my future was going to be.”

Katie Hartman graduated with an Information Science and Technology degree at UW-Milwaukee during the Covid-19 pandemic. She talked to Elizabeth Charney about studying abroad.

(Elizabeth Charney): So, you started the pandemic in South America while doing an internship, what happened?

(Katie Hartman): I was doing my internship in Argentina when covid happened. When it started it was pretty much like being deported from the country. They weren’t demanding Americans to leave the country, but they highly suggested it. Then the US Embassy there said that we should report back to the U.S. around March 20th 2019.

(Elizabeth Charney): What was going through your head? We’re there any major challenges with this sudden change of plans?

(Katie Hartman): I was originally going to work from home in Argentina, but decided for my well being that I should go back to Wisconsin. Even before going home there were many issues, like WiFi and not being equipped with software for online meetings. It was really heartbreaking leaving and also terrifying to not know what kind of state the U.S. was going to be in when I got back. When I did return though, working from home was difficult with the time zone and different languages.

(Elizabeth Charney): Where did you end up staying when you got back to Wisconsin?

(Katie Hartman): I didn’t have a lease in Milwaukee because of being abroad in Argentina, so I stayed in my hometown and ended up taking a semester off to work until classes could be in person again, but we know that didn’t happen. It was really devastating knowing I wouldn’t have a graduation, though it was understandable.

(Elizabeth Charney): So when you did return after that semester was it hard to start a new routine with classes being online?

(Katie Hartman): Yes and No. My classes were asynchronous so I could do them at my own pace. But I will say that my schedule was all over the place. I had to do my homework at weird hours and messed up my sleep schedule constantly.

(Elizabeth Charney): How did you feel knowing that you weren’t going to get an actual graduation?

(Katie Hartman): It was weird to end my undergraduate studies during the pandemic. One minute I was finishing my fall semester, then studying abroad, then I was online and graduating. It still doesn’t feel like I’ve graduated. I didn’t get to say goodbye to the campus and people that I knew; it just felt so strange that it happened the way it did.

(Elizabeth Charney): So now moving past graduation, how did your plans change?

(Katie Hartman): Before covid started, I had an entirely different vision of what my future was going to be. I honestly didn’t think that I was going to be living in the U.S. The one part that did stay the same was that I thought I would be doing some version of remote work; and that’s what I’m doing right now.

(Elizabeth Charney): How do you think you’ve changed as a person with going through school and graduating during the pandemic?

(Katie Hartman): I think I’ve become a little more insecure. I had a lot of time to think because I wasn’t surrounded by people at work, school, or in my free time. At the same time I think it also made me more independent and self-aware; there was a lot of time to reflect and it helped.