Nicholas Anderson Interview, October 2, 2020

Hello, my name is Emily Lefeber and today, I'm conducting an interview with Nicholas Anderson. This interview is for my oral history project for Oral History at American University in fall 2020 with Dr. Anna Kaplan. We will be discussing Nicholas' experiences as a high school senior during the COVID-10 Pandemic [in rural Iowa]. Today's date is October 2, 2020 and we're located at Nicholas' house. So, Nicholas, do I have your permission to record this interview?

Yes, you do.

Alright, great! Thank you. So first I want to thank you for sitting down with me today. We'll start out with some really basic questions about your background. Can you tell me your full name?

Nicholas Raymond Anderson.

And what is your gender identity?

Male

How would you describe your ethnicity?

Ethnicity? I'd say I'm Caucasian. White.

When and where were you born?

I was born July 9th. 2002 in Omaha [Nebraska] if I remember correctly.

Did you grow up here in Harlan [Iowa]?

No, I actually grew up in Earling [Iowa] then moved to Moline, Illinois then moved back to Earling, then came here [to Harlan, Iowa].

Okay, and how would you describe your childhood?

I describe it as [laughs] chaotic knowing myself. A lot of exploration before school really took over.

What would you mean by exploration?

Getting lost in town.

Getting lost?

Yes!

So, thinking about the town here in Harlan,imagine you are taking me on a tour. What would be our main stops?

Oh, main stops-- Well, we've got Pizza Ranch. We've got Border Fair. There's not a lot of sightseeing places here, but I'd say a good place to just kind of walk around, take in nature, would be a few miles outside of town at Prairie Rose [State Park] or in town over at the what's it called-- Pioneer Park.

All right, growing up what people would you say were a part of your primary household?

Well, of course my family and then I had a few friends that I constantly hung out with, that kind of thing. Brothers once they came around and some other classmates but some of us have grown apart or they have moved away.

Okay, so, who lives with you now?

My parents and my brothers.

How many brothers do you have?

I have two brothers.

All right. Thank you. So, tell me about your parents.

Well, they are fantastic, really. They provide a very healthy lifestyle-- a good balance of discipline and freedoms along with responsibilities.

What responsibilities would you say they give you?

The basic chores-- Sometimes helping them out with personal favors like filling in like dirt holes outside since I'm the most able brother, I guess.

Would you say that's helped you grow into who you are today?

I would say so yes.

Yeah? How so?

I think it's taught me to be more responsible than if you were to, say, take away the discipline and the responsibilities and just gave the freedoms. But also knowing how to manage time between responsibilities and also free time with the freedoms provided.

Want to tell me a little bit about your brothers?

My brothers-- well, we got the middle one. He is very futuristic and scientific. He does not like focusing on the past but, like me, struggles with math.

My youngest brother, however, when it comes to math, he is the smartest of us all. He is very young yet he's-- the teachers are basically teaching him algebra already at fourth grade. They're worried that he'll get bored by the time he gets to the next year.

And how would you describe yourself as a child?

Very energetic and very much out there.

Out there?

Yes--

What do you mean by that?

I mean, I was very, very sociable. I talked non-stop.

When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

Oof.. What did I want to be? I guess I'd want it to be a commercial airline pilot.

That's pretty cool. And why did you think that?

I just like the aircraft-- That was all.

Do you still enjoy aircraft? Are you still thinking about something along those lines?

Something along those lines, yes. At least, maybe, possibly another field. I'm thinking about is a lineman.

What were your favorite things to do when you were little?

Hmm, I guess again kind of just go out explore sometimes without my parents ever knowing. Yeah. That was a problem. [laughs] Got myself lost a few times.

Do you remember any specific stories?

There was one time where apparently I walked around outside of the house. I went a few blocks and totally lost myself as to where I had gone and just started going through I even went through a priest house just knocked on the door. He opened the door went through the side door when I realized I wasn't supposed to be there and wound up in front of the bank and from there, it's pretty much blank.

Oh my gosh!

I guess one more question about your childhood is if you could pick one memory that you remember most what would that be one memory?

I would have to say would be fishing with my parents and grandparents over at Arrowhead Lake for a fishing competition. It was a lot of fun

Do you enjoy those sorts of act outdoor activities?

Yes. I do enjoy those kinds of outdoor activities a lot, especially fishing or anything else to do on the water.

Why?

don't know-- I always felt more at peace on the water than I really have on land I guess.

Alright, so as we move into your teenage years without the pandemic, what would the main activities that you would be active in right now?

Wrestling, tennis, marching band, swim team, and sometimes golf here and there.

You sound busy!

Not as busy as one would think.

Okay, what interests you is about these activities?

I guess for swimming and wrestling it was the physical side the notion that you have to be tough both physically and mentally to know that if you lose it up here y'all your body starts to follow suit, but if you keep no, but if you know that you can keep going then your body will push itself.

So would you say you enjoy these sorts of physical activities more than like more mentally based activity?

Yes.

why would that be?

I don't really know I've always felt more called to the physical side than the mental side.

Do you have any hobbies outside of these activities?

Researching some about World War II and such historic knowledge that kind of thing.

What interests you most about World War 2?

I guess what really got me into it was learning at the first about the Holocaust and what had happened to the Jews, kind of learning about their plight and how they fought through it the best they could with such a disadvantage and then going into technical technical side with tanks the aircraft side with the b-29s the BF 109 measure Schmitz Spitfires hurricanes that kind of thing.

Have you been to the Aircraft Museum that's in Omaha [Nebraska]?

Yes a few times.

There's some pretty cool stuff there.

Yes. My favorite thing there would have to be the Blackbird that they've hung up. I pretty sure it's just a model but I could be wrong. I haven't been there in a while.

Would you say you've learned any major lessons looking into World War II?

I would have to say so. Don't underestimate those you may consider enemies, but also don't strike out those who could turn out to be your allies.

For example after the war was over there was one battle where Germans who didn't believe in the Nazi party actually sided with American forces to fight some Nazis held up in a stronghold like Castle. I forget the exact name of the battle and the circumstances behind it, but it's something that stuck with me for a while.

Do you think you try to apply these sorts of things into your life?

I would say I try to, yes.

Do you have a job?

Yes, I do

Where you work?

I work at Fareway as a grocery worker.

What do you do at Fareway?

Depends on what they put me for the day? I'm either stock and dairy bagging for customers stocking shelves making sure the store looks nice that kind of thing.

Do you like your job?

Yes, it's a good job. It pays decently that's something I would have to say about it. Sometimes it can be difficult with some [pause] hard to manage customers will call them.

Do you have any friends that work at Fareway?

Yes. I have a few friends that work at Fareway.

Does that help with the frustrations?

Yes. Yes. It does. It most certainly does.

So how would you describe your friend group in general?

Very historically knowledged or very physically active I guess.

What sorts of activities do you guys like to do if you are going to get together?

Um, sometimes we just mess around-- just go about the neighborhood. Not not causing mischief- keep in mind- just just going about kind of exploring one of them recently gone to the military. So he's planning on when hopefully this is over getting together and kind of setting up a workout routine whenever he's back home

Are you close with your friends?

Some of them, Yes, most certainly.

So now we're getting into the meatier questions.

Meatier- oh boy, fun term.

So when would you first say that you found out about covid-19?

Hmm. I would have to say about right before school was supposed to get out right before the four-week [break] that turned into school permanently out until after summer, which would basically be when it started hitting media harder basically.

So you are aware of the media coverage?

Yes. Yes.

What were your impressions of the coverage?

Mixed I couldn't-sometimes it was hard to tell fact from rumor, basically, with so much kind of controversy around it and not really much factual basis being presented.

So would you say the media was skewing towards the controversy rather than [the facts]?

At the beginning a little bit, yes, but as it got on as more facts became apparent. [pause] It-- it's kind of hard to explain. Honestly, it became easier to understand but also harder with some people not really taking it seriously, so it was again mixed but not as mixed as before.

When you were first finding out who were the main people that you talked to about the pandemic

Parents and close friends - definitely.

What did you guys talk about about?

Like how this might affect school, sports that kind of thing.

Did the school talk about it much before they decided to shut down?

Not much. Other than that... there might be some more restrictions and that we might go to a hybrid basis which was for the first two weeks of this school year, but, before that, it was a completely online for four weeks as what it was supposed to be but they decide to just call school off until the end of summer.

What was your reaction when they decided to shut down for the first time

Outwardly, I was ecstatic. I do not like being stuck inside a lot. However, I also knew that it was something to be taken seriously not something you just joke about freely.

Did you think it was going to be over in four weeks?

No, no. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be.

Were you surprised when they decided to extend the closure through the rest of the year?

Slightly, but not as surprised as I would have been had they just done it before deciding to try online coursing.

What would you say your experience was in this right after the cancellation?

Well, we mostly stay isolated ourselves just kept to ourselves. I only had three places I would go outside of the home. Work, the pool, and maybe for a walk every now and then if the parts weren't too crowded.

Would you say you were following the CDC's restrictions?

As closely as one could-- at the time, yes.

And just for the tape, can you tell me what those restrictions were that you're following?

Mask up, basically try to stay six feet away and kind of like contact trace if you around someone for about 15 minutes, even with masks on, especially with mask off contact tracing that kind of thing to kind of try to stay home and only where you need to go. No more really and if you had to go grocery shopping or something like that usually send one person at most-- that kind of thing

Did these restrictions change a lot in your life?

For me, not really. I mean in recent years, I've been more of a home person. I don't go out as much as I used to.

So during the initial closure right after the pandemic had just started and school shut down, were you still engaging with school online?

We were for a little bit we had assignments up until they had decided to call off school permanently. Well, not permanently, permanently-- until the end of summer.

So what was something that seemed normal to you in a pre-COVID world that seem strange now?

Places is absolutely packed with people.

And why would that be?

Just because of all the contact tracing that's been going on, people usually try to stay away from crowded places and usually when I come across these I find it a little strange. Definitely stranger than I would have ever thought before the pandemic.

Were you a fan of crowds before?

No, not really.

It's only increased your dislike of crowds?

Yes

What goes your mind when you see these large gatherings of people?

I what goes through my mind is, what's going through their minds?

That's fair. What is your impression of someone who doesn't seem to take this as seriously as they should?

Well, I hope them the best but I have a feeling they're going to be one of those that are going to find out the hard way that this is a very real deal, that this is not to be taken lightly. I mean sure you could compare it with things that have been around for years and say the kill rate is lower, but, again, this is just the beginning. We don't know about if there's a second stage or third stage. For all we know this could be another Spanish Flu incident.

So you think this could be the only be the beginning of it?

I think it could be especially if we're not taking this quarantine seriously.

Do you think people are taking it seriously?

I think some are and I think some think it's a joke.

Do you think that we as a society have been as effective as we could be?

No, I do not think we have been as effective as we could be. I think some of us could listen to The Board of Health more [and] follow their guidelines more. I mean, they don't just come out with these things out right. They do research on it. They do surveys and field research. Granted some of it might have been rushed with all this but it's still factually based, I believe.

Do you think these facts are enough to convince these some people who don't believe it?

I don't think so as much as I wish it were I don't think he'll it's enough to just have facts to be enough to convince some people.

What do you think would be more convincing?

Hard to say, I mean, it depends on the person. Depends on what they think of it, if they see it as just another flu, not let you can do. If someone sees it as like something that only affects older people and the youngest people like newborns to about 65. I think they could be reached but it would still take some attempting. Honestly. I don't know how I would reach them.

Do you think that this has become politicized in some sense?

I think that we have turned it a lot into politics rather than as something that we need to take seriously, I think especially with the presidential debate-- That was a mess to say the least.

Had this been more of a public health issue rather than a political issue, do you think people would have responded differently?

Possibly. Again, it all depends on the person and what they believe. I know there will be those who think it's some conspiracy to try to take away our rights, like they're saying now, I guess that's something I've heard a lot.

Do you think these people are getting their sources or their facts from reliable sources?

I do not think so. I think they're getting it from friends that got it from some shady source or Wikipedia, for example. [Wikipedia is] not exactly the best source, certainly not something you would want to take with a serious matter.

If you were going to look up some information, where would you deem to be a reliable source?

Well, I would deem like a health organization a good source, or like the COVID task force it, when they were up and running. I would take what they said because, again, they were created for that purpose.

What would you say are the least reliable places to get your information?

Wikipedia, social media from people who aren't exactly-- let me rephrase that-- from not from people who don't take something from a board of health or some other Health Organization article or something and like just pull it off of some internet site that hasn't been reviewed by, for example, the FDA, or something like that.

So like a Facebook page that hasn't been properly curated to be factually based?

Yes, exactly.

Would you feel comfortable telling me a little bit about your mental health?

I would say that it was definitely a lot brighter before all this I was a much more easygoing person. But recently I've found myself, more on edge, easy to irritate sometimes. Some days a very short fuse. Usually it takes a while.

Do you think the pandemic has been a driving factor in any of this?

I think some of it is lack of socialization with other people with other people and some of it just staying cooped up in the dark not really being able to do much.

What would you say your primary emotion has been through this pandemic?

Honestly, I would hope it would be neutral because that's how I kind of feel just like blank most of the times, but sometimes I find myself lashing out in like non-confrontational anger. Like I'd send the glare someone's way or something like that passive-aggressive anger, I guess

You're frustrated?

Why are you so frustrated?

I guess some of it is not being able to really do much with friends and some of it being that people not taking this seriously, thinking it's just some big sham or that it's an attempt to take away our rights. I don't see how. it really comes into a factual basis.

What do you think of that argument that people are taking away our rights?

I think that it started out as someone looking for attention and eventually it grew out of control and started being taken seriously by a few then more and more and it continues to spread.

Some people have been comparing a mask mandate to like a seatbelt mandate. Would you say that's comparable?

Well, it depends. Seat belts keep you safe and masks can also keep you safe or others safe. Research kind of goes into that and we've recently got a new restriction where we have to wear the mask over both our mouth and nose and some people weren't doing that before and again, I don't see why. it just seemed like it was an obvious thing. You breathe and you can't just breathe through your mouth because if you try and you were to hold your finger up near your nose, you'd still feel that air be sucked in through the nose as well.

Do you think that people are more misinformed or do you think that they're misunderstanding?

I think it's kind of equal basis on that both misinformed and ignorant. I guess willfully ignorant or maybe that they just don't know that they're ignorant possibly both. I would hope that it's more blissfully ignorant rather than intentionally ignorant.

How have your loved ones been doing during this pandemic?

My youngest brother is usually very sociable and it seems that this isolation and all that has really started. It's starting to get to him. We've trying to create safe play days for him and one of his friends of course with masks, but it's kind of difficult, because we're trying to make sure that that we're also following guidelines from the Board of Health.

Would you say that's a priority in your family?

I would say it is. Yeah.

Have you or someone, you know been infected with the covid-19?

Not that I know of.

So, let's talk about the media again. Do you think that they present the information that they have fairly?

Hmm. Could you like divulge a little further on that?

Yeah. Do you think they have an agenda or do you think that they're giving you the facts?

I think it's a little bit of both, but I think it's mostly towards the facts rather than an agenda.

And when you when you think of the media what are you thinking of? Like what organizations?

Mostly like Fox News that kind of thing-- news media. Not really much about the government programs. Usually I don't watch those I so I can't say whether or not they are posting anything about the pandemic or not.

Would where would you say you get most of your information?

I guess I would say mostly news whenever I really sit down and watch it but mostly I say I would get it from updates from the Board of Health like when they update restrictions or something like that.

Okay, do you think that the source of the information affects the way that they talk about the virus?

I think it could I mean I would hope as researchers they would try to remain unbiased but it definitely could be a factor.

So if you were to look at like the way that CNN talks about the virus versus like Fox News. Do you think they're giving the same information?

Hard to say as I don't watch either.

That's fair. Let's see. How do you think that based on your perception through the media? How do you think that politicians are approaching the pandemic?

I say they're mostly using it to try and further their election process. I mean there's a bunch of controversy around it, yes, and there's been information revealed through the news about sometimes underplaying the pandemic for example.

And what politicians would you say that would be?

Is it alright to say on here?

Yeah--

would have to say Trump as a phone call that was put on to the news which we had him state that he has been under playing the pandemic.

Were you shocked?

Not really.

Not really?

Not really.

Do you think that he should have acted sooner?

I think he should have and I think he shows kind of put more out there rather than try to underplay it.

Do you think had he acted sooner, when he received the information, do you think we would be in a different place right now?

Possibly if he had taken the right path towards it we might of been on a better course but again, we don't know and we possibly may never know

So if he took a similar path to what we ended up going on, do you think the pandemic would still be around?

Possibly. I mean it, again, it could have been to a point where it seems like it was decreasing just like again like the Spanish Flu was and then we have some sort of huge internet kind of like National thing like a national parade and then all of a sudden numbers are back up and we begin to lose more and more.

If we were under a different president, do you think that they would have reacted differently or do you think they would have been concerned with the election as well?

Hard to say because I honestly don't know much about any of the other candidates from back in 2016. I don't remember much about it.

That's fair. In a similar vein on the media and politicians, do you think that in relation to covid-19 that the media has been portraying teens and young adults fairly or have you seen them being talked about?

I haven't been watching the news recently. I'll be honest with that. So I don't know if they've been recently but I haven't seen much of teens and young adults being shown as kind of trying to do the right thing because I know with the school I go to a lot of the teenagers have been willingly wearing the masks and the adults have been trying to fight it and that's just what I've noticed throughout our community.

So based on your experience. Do you think that the media portrayal is accurate?

It could be but it also might not be again. I'm my only as experience is within my community. I don't know about other communities.

Let's see. So let's talk a little bit about the return to learn. Okay. So as your school planned for the fall semester, what did you think would happen? What would you think would keep people the most safe?

I thought we were either going to do hybrid learning with some of us attending the class through zoom and some of us being in person-- like cut the classes in half, like I'm at home watching the lesson through zoom and the other half in person. So that way if they need direct help they can get it. The first two weeks, we kind of did that but rather than doing the lessons all at once we had separated the days where students with the their last names beginning with A through K went to class and they learned the the the lesson. Then the next day, the next class would come in and they would learn the exact same thing as we had the day before so on so forth. [We did that] for two weeks and then we went into full in person.

However, they have provided the option of going to fully online and some have taken that. Like for example some with parents who have a underlying condition, like one of my fellow band members has a high-risk person, I guess you could say, who could easily get it if exposed to it.

So do you think that hybrid model was effective?

I don't think it was, I think it slowed down. If anything, it's slowed learning down.

How do you think they could improved the hybrid model?

I think they could have improved it by, again, having the same class with half the class on Zoom watching the lesson with the like teacher having either microphone set up so that picks up what she's saying and the classroom or like like all the classrooms in our school has the smart board or whatever it's called and they could have put it on the computer and both the people on the zoom could see what's going on through the screen and the classroom in person could see what's going on through the Smartboard.

So if [school] ended up going to hybrid again, would you think it was positive or negative?

Again, it depends if they had made improvements on the previous hybrid learning we did if they go back to that system of one class per two days then, no, I wouldn't but if they had switch it to half on Zoom watching the lesson and half in the classroom watching the lesson then I would say yes, it would have improved.

Do you think this model is effective in slowing the spread of COVID?

I think it was-- I do believe it was.

As the school was in the planning process, did you feel that the your voice or the voices of students in general was being heard?

I mean, I would say my voice at least was heard a little bit. I mean, but again, I'm not for sure because I'm one person and usually that doesn't affect much but again one vote does matter.

Why do you feel your voice was heard?

[laughs] Because my mother is the vice president of the school board.

So would she like come to you?

She would yes or ask me about how I felt that things could go in school and sometimes on how it is going through school.

Okay. And do you think that she takes those with her to the meeting?

I do believe she does-- I think she takes these and uses it to form a kind of idea on what's going on inside the school as a lot of school board members can't be in the building at this time due to attempting to maintain social distance. So, I mean it's only like the superintendent some is rarely allowed and sometimes I believe because I, usually, like last year, we saw the superintendent all around. This year, I've only seen her once or twice in the halls. So either she's in the office constantly now due to trying to maintain social distance or has been working from home and attempting to maintain social distance.

Do you think that your voice was an important perspective to add to these school board meetings that your mom was at?

Possibly but again, I don't know all the details and even if I did I would not be able to disclose.

So do you think it's important that students voices are heard at these sorts of things?

I do believe so as it directly affects the students, especially in school.

Do you think there would have been a different outcome than if more students had been able or have gone to school board meetings to make their voices heard?

Possibly, but a lot of them aren't very interested in all this and see it as just another form of politics. rather than directly affecting them.

Why would you say that?

I have talked to some of them to try and get their perspective on things to try and bring that to attention but a lot of them have admitted to seeing it as basically another form of politics. Some of my friends believe this. So again, it's hard to tell.

If students had been able to come and voice their opinions. Do you think they would have been heard or do you think they would have been dismissed?

I think of feels on would be dismissed and a few of them would be heard. I think it mostly depends on where they stand in the community.

So standing is important? Status?

Like well-- Let's take some sports. For example, there is a kid who isn't the best but his father has a high position within the hierarchy and you have this hard working person but his parents aren't really high up on that hierarchy there somewhere either in the middle or down below, the person who had been working hard and practicing to his fullest was, basically, pushed to the sidelines while this other kid, who didn't really do much, was pushed forward as a starter and really didn't contribute much to the team.

So you would you say that there is a lot of hierarchy going in [all] this?

I do believe that there is a bit of hierarchy going on. Again, I think it depends sometimes it depends on how much money or status you have in the community.

How do you think that affects the voices that are heard then?

I think that the voices that are heard through, outside of status and money, can bring effect if they're heard past that status and money.

So what would the demographic be of the people who are the most heard?

I would say mostly those with high social status or contribute a lot [of money] to the school. I know there are some school board members who look past this and try to bring an unbiased view but I also know that there are those who will look at it as these people bring more money to the school, therefore contribute more therefore should be heard more than someone who doesn't contribute so I can understand the position but also at the same time I don't understand, just completely-- just missing some voices.

Do you think that we're missing information or perspectives by only listening to those big dollar donors?

Possibly. Again, it depends on what is said, I mean not everyone brings a positive feedback to try and make things better. Some of them try to bring it back that are trying to bring it back to completely to the way it was-- for example, no masks or anything like that. And now they're trying to fight back against the restriction that [neck] gators don't technically count as masks and I believe the reason for that was because there hasn't been enough research on gaters being effective as a mask.

So, when you did find out what the school's plan was to go back in person. What was your reaction to the way that they handled the restrictions?

I believe that it was very chaotic to say the least. Although not much can be expected there. I mean usually with any sort of transition even without a pandemic is slightly chaos.

I mean, for example the first day we were brought back to full person. It was hard to find everyone lunch seats where it would maintain social distance, even though we had split the lunches up into three sectors within A lunch, then B lunch, and then C lunch. Last year, it was just A lunch and B lunch.

How has in-person learning been going?

It's been going good. I don't know exactly how the numbers and our community specifically have been affected, but I know that but I have noticed that a few more people have either gone to fully online learning or have been quarantined due to exposure.

Do you feel safe when you're at school?

Hard to say it depends on sometimes the classroom. For example, we have some teachers who are completely lacks about the masks, but will enforce it to like the minimum that they can enforce it or but then there are also the teachers who are taking this very seriously and will enforce it to the maximum. For example, my government teacher has us always wearing the mask over our mouths and noses despite us all being six feet apart and less than 20 in a classroom

Do you feel that's necessary?

I feel that it is because you have this accumulation of air but not much like circulation from outside to inside, you're basically in a box and eventually that air will stagnate I guess is the word.

Yeah, so would you say that overall do you think the school is doing an effective job of keeping the restrictions in place?

I think they've gotten better at it, but not the absolute best to their capabilities.

Where are places that they can improve?

Like for example, the one way system they implemented it some hallways are enforced by teachers making sure that the one way is followed, but others are not and allowing for a two-way system that isn't supposed to be there.

Do you feel that the other students are taking the guidelines seriously?

I feel like there are those who are taking it seriously and those who are not again. It depends. I think that is a mixture of both personal belief and beliefs of parents and Friends peer pressure that kind of thing. Yeah.

As a as a group would you say that most of the students are taking it seriously or most of them aren't?

I would say most of them are taking it seriously at least with the interactions that I've had.

So, you mentioned that you think that parents and other friends are largely influential in how people are thinking--

Yes.

Do you think that people are taking what they hear at home to inform their decisions like your classmates and your fellow students?

I think a lot of it is at home for information based because you're used to receiving information from parents about a lot of things outside in the world and you're used to taking that as fact and don't really do much research into it. Others, however, might fall out of that curriculum and do their own research before believing it. But again, sometimes even those who do their own research will fall to peer pressure and possibly say what they do not personally believe to fit in with the group-- to conform to it.

You say there's a peer pressure. Which way do you think it pushes?

I would say there's a peer pressure pushing both ways really to having these having the masks and not believing that the masks are necessary.

So let's-- we can move on from the pandemic now. All right? We can take a breathe now.

How are classes going?

Oh! they're going good, really.

What [classes] are you taking?

I am taking currently taking English 12, Woods, lets see, then I have a free period, then government, Culinary, Spanish One, and then ending it with Psych.

What's your favorite of those?

I would have to say Woods. it's more of a hands-an kind of deal and I do better in those areas.

What're you working on?

A coffee table.

What kind of coffee table?

One that would slide under like the side of the couch for the basement and it could be used as either a coffee table or, the way I've built it, I could turn it and use it as a footrest if needed.

That's really cool. Did you design it yourself?

I took a picture off the Internet and based off of that, but mostly I just mostly changed like the parameters of it like the size and all that but the design is not originally mine, no.

Still really cool.

Although the way they had built. It was not intentional to have a two-way possible system. Just a one-way just a side table coffee stand.

That's really cool. What are you looking forward to for your senior year?

Getting out of here. [Laughs] Getting out of school, so that way I can kind of get more experience on jobs possibly get an apprenticeship for a lineman since I've looked into it. They get good pay and, honestly, this is my opinion, better than taking college because you are being paid to learn rather than paying to learn.

That's smart.

Obviously no offense to whichever Professor.

So you would say you're hoping to enter the workforce after you graduate?

Hopefully, but there are a lot of paths that I could possibly take and the future is not set in stone.

So you talked about being a lineman. Can you tell me a little bit about what a lineman would be doing?

Well, it depends on which side you're on. If you're on the electrical side for lineman, then you would be dealing with utility lines possibly power plants that kind of thing. You'd be possibly called out to a blackout to try and figure out the problem, resolve it and get people's power back on. If you're on the gas side, you'll be installing new gas lines. Go to gas leaks and solve it before it turns into a disaster.

What first drew you to this job?

My father.

Your dad?

Yes. So

what sort of lineman work does he do?

Well, he isn't exactly linemen but we've talked about areas he works for Mid-American on the Utility side, I believe but I am not a hundred percent accurate on that I believe so I could be very much wrong.

Would you say that the pandemic has changed your plans for the future at all?

I mean, not really cbecause there's still a lot of openings on that technical side.

All right. This is my last question. Was there anything that I didn't ask you that you wish I would have?

Not that I can think of no.

Alright, so we'll close off here. I want to say thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview.

No problem.

Your answers have been really good and it'll be a great contribution on my project about high school seniors in the pandemic and to the humanities truck. So thank you so much.

All right. I just hope we can learn from it.