“I think it shaped my brain differently. I was in survival mode.”

Imani Ortiz graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee spring 2019, during the wake of COVID-19. Ortiz tells how the pandemic has affected her life after college.

Before quarantine, I was planning a lot of celebratory things, graduating, moving out of state, working in my field (journalism) right away.

The separation from the public sent me to a place of depression. I didn’t have much to do, we couldn’t go outside. We were on super strict lock down. I think it shaped my brain differently. I was in survival mode. What if this turns into an apocalypse?

I didn’t get a chance to walk across the stage and I was devastated, I was crying. That was supposed to be a liberating moment for me and I didn’t get to have that moment

All my creative juices came to a halt. I couldn’t model, I had writer’s block, I had creative block, every block I could think of. I couldn’t do anything productive during that time.

I went through a breakup, everything got shut down and my sorority stopped all in-person activity.

They changed it again (graduation date) to October, then they changed to virtual in August. The whole situation blew me, you shouldn’t of suggested an in-person graduation the first time.

The following semester, spring 2020 from other colleges received a proper ceremony. Other universities of Wisconsin school gave their students a graduation, but we are still sitting here doing surveys to see what if. That’s not exactly fair to people who worked their entire lives for this moment.

I don’t think that we are given our flowers, I don’t think we we’re treated as a priority. I think that not only did people get their graduation snatched from them, but they were slapped in the face.

Now, I’m okay with doing more than one thing and I’ve overcome depression. My business is my long-term investment. I will always be a part of journalism because I enjoy doing it, that’s my career.

I opened up my own business to avoid contact with people. COVID-19 has shifted my brain to not be around people, this helps stimulate that. My brand is Tiz-wax and I sale candles. I was depressed going through a breakup and I ran out of candles. I thought, why don’t I create candles to make them last longer? I tried it a few times and was like, I’m kind of good. My business has been very successful throughout COVID despite economic difficulties.

Now, I’m okay with focusing on more than one thing.