Sarah Coen is Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Enrollment Management at Transylvania University Sarah: “My family and I are excited to be back as
Johnnie Johnson is Vice President for Admissions at Transylvania University Johnnie: “We’re going to remember 2020 like our parents remember the ‘60s. 2020 is the
Brien Lewis is President of Transylvania University Brien: “‘What is it like to move to a new place and start a new job as a
Rhyan: “My Mom (Toni) and I were in a car accident in November, which led us to take some time off from touring at the
The bands that Lee leads are C The Beat (world music) and Lee Carroll’s Ethos Quintet (original jazz, Latin, R&B). He is also a founding
Jim records his own music and also plays with The Johnson Brothers. Missy performs with The Bats. Jim: “It’s been decades since I’ve gone 4
“Why should we wear masks? Young people are spreading COVID-19 in their communities. Studies are clearly showing that: •Individuals infected with this virus are able
Omar: “DACA. An acronym that you hear often but never really know what it means to someone like me. To someone like me who was
“During the first semester of my final year of law school, I worked as a student attorney in my school’s immigration law clinic. Even though
“My name is Bryan and I am from Mexico and I am 24 years old. I have lived in the United States for 21 years
Ana: “At first, to ease the anxiety, I took a deep dive into medical and research journals, hoping the science (or the experience of those
Shannon Blackburn is the Principal of Ashland Elementary School. Shannon: “It’s the last day of school for the year. While this day comes every year,
Esmeralda: “I am a visual artist; in this pandemic time I have created much more art, I have cooked, baked almost daily, I have helped
Ashley and Trevor: “Our names are Trevor and Ashley and 3 years ago, we co-founded Black Soil: Our Better Nature. We are an agritourism company
Matt works as a nurse in the Neurological ICU at Central Baptist Hospital. Recently, they’ve been getting the overflow from the Medicine ICU because that’s
Debbie Eller teaches Art at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Debbie: “Chris and I are really hopeful the pandemic will create positive social change through
Vicki: “This quarantine period has allowed me the time to really focus on the animal rescue work that I feel passionately about. With shelters throughout
Wendy Turner teaches English at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Wendy: “As a teacher with kids who go to the same school—I am seeing them,
Skylar: “I’m usually living in a dorm with 35 guys on the same floor. Being around women during this pandemic, especially ones I care about,
These days, Travis is doing homeschooling, in addition to his regular job: helping people make chicken coops, and selling chickens and chicken feed. Travis expects
Dima: “One good thing about this pandemic is that we adopted a dog—that’s pretty awesome. It’s my mid-life crisis :).” Yoko: “One good thing about
Heath is a software architect, working for a company in New York. When we arrived to take their family photo, he was in a meeting,
Tom: “I miss seeing my wife interact with other people. She lights up my life, Sophia’s life, and other people’s lives. I miss seeing that.”
Scott: “We moved in just before the US reaction to the virus really got serious. I was in England during that time and only just
Cicely: “Blended families are chaos … but also the best kind!”
Amani: “Today, May 9th at 3pm, would have been the day I walked across that stage at Rupp Arena with my name being called, receiving
Aumaine: “This is a hard time for everyone. I struggle with depression and for the first month of quarantine all I could do was survive.
Wendy: “I work for John at the Sage Rabbit and Lester at Stella’s Kentucky Deli because I love their moral dipstick. They recycle, use local
Before the pandemic hit, Cesar co-owned a detailing shop in addition to working as a manager at a manufacturing company. When COVID-19 arrived in Kentucky,
Robin: “This pandemic has been a blessing in disguise. It’s made me stay at home and be grounded. Usually, I am taking care of others.
Yogi is the only one in this picture who is going stir-crazy during this pandemic. After more than two years of specialized training, Yogi loves
Margueritte has been working from home for 7 years. She is used to being alone and using Zoom and Skype. Fernie has been home for
Jo: “In this time, we have discovered a bittersweet dance between delight and grief. We have both wrangled with seriously disrupted plans, an aging parent
After we photographed Stephanie, she laughingly shared this with us: “It’s the first time in 7 weeks I’ve worn my jeans, put jewelry on, used
Dafri: “One of my biggest things as an artist is telling the untold story. If I’m in a crowded room, my eyes always go to
Riah: “Quarantine has given us more opportunity to be together and that was terrifying in the beginning. Looking at an unknown amount of time to
Rufus: “I am so grateful to have my humans home with me all day for non-stop companionship and occasional play breaks. I know they are
Elections matter. With the outbreak of COVID-19 we see just how important it is to elect good leaders. Dr. Liz Sheehan is running to represent
Lisa and Tom moved to Lexington when Kieran was 2 weeks old. They watched him and his older brother Riley every week, Monday through Friday—until
Terri: “Yesterday, the girls made a stuffed animal zoo. It included bears, puppies, monsters, aliens, dinosaurs, monkeys, birds, a tiger, a hedgehog, and cows. They
Kate: “In my regular life, I drive the Bookmobile for Woodford County, taking books to homebound patrons in Troy, Nonesuch, Millville, Midway. Now I’m working
Kremena: Barb has been my neighbor for all but one of the years I’ve lived in Lexington. Even before we bought our house on Bassett
Yesterday was Ashley’s birthday. This is what she said about it: “Celebrating 50 years is an opportunity to be grateful for a whole new realm
Camilo: “Compassion and patience are what is needed now. It’s good to see humanity as a whole trying to fight this virus. I think it’ll
Ximena: “I feel very fortunate we are still employed, given the awful unemployment globally. I am grateful we get to spend extra time with our
Derek, Heather, Griffen, and Duncan: “4 redheads and a sousaphone player miss live music. We Will Survive.”
Nell: “It’s 9 PM. I probably ought to get out of my pajamas.” David: “Go back to your classroom.” Lisa: “All I do is dishes.”
Georgia is never bored. She finds many things to do to make each day meaningful.
Carla and Max are spending a lot of time on their perch. There is less traffic now so they can hear the birds much better.
Erica’s grandmother, Lila Mae, passed last week in Florida, where Erica is from. That, on top of the strange reality we all now inhabit, has
Normally, Yessenia and her boys get to see Yessenia’s niece—who are 6 and 2—at least every other day. Now they resort to messages on Marco
Brock has been widowed twice. Her second wife passed last month. Delila is her therapy dog. Things are getting better.
While Blue watched on, Brett played “Rocky Island” on his 5-string banjo. He told us it’s a Burgee’s Creek/Knot County/Kentucky version of this traditional tune.
Tanzi continues to work at the Food Bank and feels privileged to still have a job. In fact, her job is very secure, but it’s
Whitney Walker is a Social Studies Teacher at Lafayette High School, where she teaches Geography and Government. She has been there 15 years. Whitney: “I
They feel lucky to have Stefan back from his Fulbright in Austria. He managed to fly back on Fri, March 13. “It was actually a
Grace’s full name is Grace O’Malley. She was named after the first female pirate to have her own ships. Unlike the pirate she is named
Mitchell is a rescue. Anthony and Dean got him at Wags for Drag 10 years ago. His original family had named him Mitch after Mitch
Bobby: “I’ve been thinking about online teaching, taking things one day at a time … already thinking about Plan B and Plan C when my
Ebony Collins is Lead Custodian at STEAM Academy. Ebony shares what’s been on her mind today: “The government is trying to issue a stimulus. I’ve