But well be back all the same. 2400 Market Street Offsite Suite 269 Philadelphia, PA 19103. The fields flooded again in May of 2020, but those baseball and softball seasons had been canceled due to . Jinich, a photographer, says he wanted to pursue a long-term, creative project, and get out of the bubble of reading everything through his phone screen. Eight girls, planning to live there until graduation. Or, if you ask Max Strickberger (C '22) and Alan Jinich (C '22), the word of a generation. 73 overall), Jalin Hyatt, wide receiver, New York Giants. Alan Jinich. We knew when we started the road trip that we wanted to do these interviews and just talk to people our age. And he put the entire website together, which is so meaningful, to have what we did in one place. The resulting website for that archive, Generation Pandemic, will feature about 20, 1,500-word, oral history narratives and podcasts drawn from the interviews, photos, and videos they gathered on their journey. The room is exactly as I remembered, except now its filled with Canadian sports memorabilia, posters, and hats. But going into it, it was all very open. It had the most amazing weather. We wanted to do that kind of oral history with personal narratives, but specific to our age and about the pandemic, Strickberger says. Soon they were invited to the high school prom. They went into every shop on Main Street, but couldnt find anyone their age to interview. Senior Max Strickberger, co-creator of Generation Pandemic. And thats how we ended up interviewing them, and then it ended up going on for hours and hours and we toured the farm and recorded it all. The archive explores how the pandemic has . They spoke with a few skeptical construction workers on Main Street and decided to move on to the next town, but then they passed a sign for a dairy farm. Her brother was addicted to heroin and her mother, who did not speak English, was trying to navigate the court system for custody of the baby. Both Strickberger, 23, and Jinich, 22, got vaccinated before they left but they were heading to states where masking and vaccination were not prevalent. His daughter, Romana Lee-Akiyama, will lead a panel discussion, to be followed by a live painting demonstration by Lok Lee apprentice and longtime friendS. Joon Thomas. I listen, and later, I dont attempt to transcribe the call as I did for the other residents I interviewed. Yes, of course they should, and they did, at the invitation of a local farming family, joining most of the town, population 600, that spring evening. and student profiles, research updates, and the latest happenings on campus. Most of my junior year was spent wandering from bedroom to bedroom, each its own ecosystem. Four years of shared history and thirty-four years of separate histories are being crammed into the call. Theres a certain culture with being raised here. a. I grew up listening to my grandpa making up fictional stories and telling them to me. RELATED: New film captures a Philly familys struggle with opioid addiction. School of Arts & SciencesUniversity of Pennsylvania3600 Market Street, Suite 300Philadelphia, PA 19104-3284Phone: 215-746-1232Fax: 215-573-2096Email: omnia-penn@sas.upenn.edu, 2023 Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts & Sciences, Seven Things to Know About "The Waste Land" at 100, Celebrating the Pastand Planning for the Future. Just going to the next one, whatever. Cloutier sees many possibilities. But they prepared with Penn professors and kept in touch with them along the way. So theyre definitely extremes in both ways. We will never give or sell your information to a third party outside of this partner program. We just got into the area. We have what you need to know ahead of the return of the annual St. Patricks Day parade this Sunday. The scrutiny that arrived from the PPAs request of an $11.3 million refund from the cash-strapped school district in 2020, citing an overpayment that launched a City Council probe into the agencys finances. When Penn student Alan Jinich finally decided he couldn't take one more day of sitting inside his rented house taking virtual classes, he came up with quite the solution. If youve read The Secret History by Donna Tartt or watched Dead Poets Society, Id say its a bit like that, says Stein. Sam lying in bed surrounded by her collected and carefully-sourced antiquities. Jinich and Strickbergerchildhood friends who grew up on the same block in Chevy Chase, MDsat down at their shared apartment in West Philly to talk about the experiences of young people during the pandemic, how rejection has made them stronger, and their go-to roadtrip snacks. The athletics program offers competitive sports for student athletes, including cross-country, track, soccer, lacrosse, and crew/rowing. For Lily Stein, C'22, Alan Jinich, C'22, and their classmates, it wasn't merely an academic experience, but a deeply personal one. Well give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. Gallery. Except then Alan got the interview with Fernando, which is up on the site. Send your thoughts our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. What becomes quickly apparent in his class is that there is no difference between writing well and living well.. Before coming to Penn, where he received a Provosts teaching award in 2005, Hendrickson worked as a staff feature writer at The Washington Post from 1977 to 2001. Its now billed as the largest high school social justice publication in Washington D.C. Strickberger and Jinich who grew up on the same street in Chevy Chase, Md., and became good friends in high school and better friends at Penn had some early jitters. Cloutier says even though the project focused on a particular generation, stories like Sharons make the archive a much wider and richer portrait of the American scene right now, glimpsing the experiences of other generations, he says. MS: After our first stop in Tennessee, nothing else was lined up. Alan Jinich, Ants [composite] Elyssa Chou, Voronoi. It was the best feeling. And check out their powerful, sweet and hilarious mix of post-pandemic wishes. Im sure if I was approached by two strangers in the middle of the workday, Id think it was pretty weird as well. If theres news at Penn, youll find it here. For more details, including the judges' comments on the winning work, click here. And they really were engaged, not only with the people they met, but also with seeing parts of the country theyd never seen before, Peiss says. Contest judge: Rachel Zolf. Our comprehensive, progressive curriculum is known for experiential andhands-on learning, college-prep level math and STEM courses, and innovative programming. They did most together but would frequently split up and do some alone. I see in them a kind of pioneering drive, to want to do something in the world, to immerse yourself in that experience, and to kind of shake off your own comforts or your own kind of prescribed path.. Throwing your hands in the air, losing yourself in a moment, the music. They took the spring 2021 semester off from their formal Penn education, loaded up Jinichs moms burnt red, five-seater SUV with food and supplies, and headed out for a six-week, 7,300-mile, 23-state trek. They asked each person to write in a notebook the answer to the question: After the pandemic I want to Strickberger says he got the idea from a conversation with novelist Jennifer Egan about the project. It was really energizing to be out there and trying to find someone who was generous enough to share a part of their life with us., As they settle into their senior year at Penn, they are continuing work on the Generation Pandemic archive. Five security guards declined to speak with me before I approached Amber at the wrap-around desk in Harrison, a high-rise dorm built in 1970. I didnt know how meaningful I would find it, he says. For Lily Stein, C22, Alan Jinich, C22, and their classmates, it wasnt merely an academic experience, but a deeply personal one. Applauding: Abbott Elementary, the hit ABC comedy created by West Philly native Quinta Brunson, is delivering real-life resources to her old elementary school. And its just a staple for growing up in Philly. Maeve upstairs with a canvas photograph of planet Earth larger than her modest, sparsely decorated room. We were looking for different kinds of places, big cities, tiny towns, places with racial, ethnic, political, religious diversity, Jinich says. [She laughs]. Generation Pandemic, an oral history archive undertaken by Penn English major Max Strickberger and Penn English minor Alan Jinich, featured in Penn Today. Robyn, Ronni, Deborah, Amy, and I all occupy a small square of my computer screen. A PPA spokesperson said general counsel Dennis Weldon will assume the responsibilities of executive director while the board announced plans to launch a national search for Petris replacement. He experienced a lot of bad things this year related to custody of his child and not being able to stay physically fit in the way that he wouldve liked to. I ask Amber if shes ever left Philly. It probably was more worthwhile dont tell Penn than a semester online, said Deborah Miller, Strickbergers mother, a former television producer. Having that bar between me and the guest gives me more confidence. GENERATION PANDEMIC Generation Pandemic is an oral history archive that documents the impact of COVID-19 on young adults in America. JBP: How has this experience affected your already-strong friendship? Though he is a neuroscience major with an English minor, Jinich, who took the photos, found the journey so fulfilling, hes interested in pursuing similar work as a career. Id never done a project that had this kind of depth and kind of length to it. MS: We went to Chinatown in Chicago, Im like Im going up this side of the street, youre going up that side. Humanities, & SocialSciences, Education, The prom was one of dozens of unexpected experiences shared by seniors Max Strickberger and Alan Jinichbest friends and Penn roommates who grew up on the same street in Chevy Chase, Marylandduring their journalistic endeavor. JBP: What overarching insights have you each taken away from the experience, and how has this journey changed you? Next came a four-hour tour of the turkey farm, and Jay and his wife invited them for dinner. And we ended up meeting these guys, Jade and Tyler and Scott Dalton, who are brothers and cousins. I think the project just confirmed that I love asking questions and was in such a fortunate place where I could just go out and have an excuse to talk to people after a year of interacting with zero strangers. Like what youre reading? In Circleville, Utah, they faced two particularly skeptical subjects who were cousins. I dont really feel threatened by students here. Recurring membership charges will reflect the stated price of basic membership or Super Citizen membership at time of renewal. Neither got COVID-19 on the road. It makes them morally and ethically accountable to their subjectsthat is, they are not just swinging by for one or two interviews, but they are building up a relationship built on trust: their trust of the subject, the subjects trust of them. 68 overall), Hendon Hooker, quarterback, Detroit Lions. Ivys minimalist room with the white bay windows. Allow us to introduce Ruthie Henri, South Jerseys queen of barbecue. When COVID-19 hit, these Penn students got creative, Scott Petri is out at the Philadelphia Parking Authority. I can tell you immediately how the pandemic affected people my age, but I think the more interesting take-aways will come when we have time to process it and also when we see the changes that happened with the people we interviewed. Wed go to the grocery store and we had a cooler in the back: It was almost all cheese and bread. Pati Jinich, Alans mother, didnt need convincing. (LR) Green Monsters donning their custom-made Spring Fling apparel. Alan Jinich, Untitled [composite] Chelsea Cheng, Yu. They had a tentative itinerary. We each had chosen a room when we moved in, which we meticulously and unintentionally personalized to become a physical manifestation of ourselves. Photography by Alan Jinich . I study neuroscience and Ive been undecided as to what I want to do after school, and now Im considering work that involves writing and interviews., The same is true for Strickberger. Jean-Christophe Cloutier, an associate professor of English and comparative literature, and Sam Apple, who teaches creative writing, were among others that Strickberger and Jinich turned to for advice. Style has since lost a lot of its color and the parties have moved to clubs downtown. March 28, 2022. At the end of each interview, they asked everyone to write in a notebook a response to the prompt, after the pandemic, I want to.. Home Arts & Culture Generation Pandemic. We worked with a history professor from Penn, Kathy Peiss; just out of the kindness of her heart, shes very generous and met with us outside of school. Permit holders will have access to their garage at all times during the Winter Break. And they were super down to chat, they were interested in why we were in Circleville and we got to talking, but when we told them Oh were interested in doing these interviews for this project, they were way more skeptical.