The Insider:
Congratulations on graduating! You must be excited about that.
Sophie Leeds:
Thank you and yes, very! I also recently started a job, so it’s been an exciting time.
The Insider:
Which city did you grow up in?
Sophie Leeds:
Trumbull, Conn.
The Insider:
When did you start college?
Sophie Leeds:
I started in August 2019 at Western Connecticut State University.
The Insider:
There was only a short time at school for you until the pandemic started. Do you remember when you first heard that it was coming? What did you think?
Sophie Leeds:
When I first heard about the pandemic, I was overwhelmed and uncertain of how or if it would affect me. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a lot of information, and the news was constantly developing. It felt like there was a new story or important news coming out quicker than you could grasp it.
My initial reaction was fear of the unknown. As we got more news about Covid and its implications, it got scarier. Once cases started popping up in the United States, and then in nearby states and towns, it all felt so real.
My fall semester was normal, but I only had a few months of my spring semester before we were sent home in mid-March 2020. At first, the school’s plan was that we would come back in a few weeks. But my lacrosse season was canceled, and then shortly after we found out we would be moving home.
The Insider:
That must have been very disappointing!
Sophie Leeds:
Yes, it was very disappointing, I felt like I only had a normal college experience for a little bit until my senior year.
The Insider:
You were on sports teams?
Sophie Leeds:
I played field hockey and lacrosse in college.
The Insider:
That’s impressive! Was that part of the excitement of initially starting college?
Sophie Leeds:
Thanks! It was definitely a lot in terms of the time commitment. Going into school playing two sports added to the excitement of college. It made the transition from high school to college so much easier. Knowing 40-plus familiar faces of teammates who have experienced that change was reassuring and helpful.
The Insider:
Tell me a little more about how your sports activities were affected from March 2020 on by the pandemic.
Sophie Leeds:
There was a lot of talk surrounding sports being canceled from the very beginning of Covid. There were other collegiate teams that canceled their seasons before my school did. During the last game we played, I remember we weren’t allowed to high- five and say “good game” after the game to the other team.
Not long after we had a team meeting where our coaches told us the season would be canceled and that we would go home for a few weeks with the plan of coming back without sports. At that point, we only had a few days to get everything we needed out of the dorms and move home for the time being.
Many people took what they needed with the hopes of coming back. I on the other hand ended up packing up my entire dorm room. My mom was very informed about Covid and what was going on and she told me to take everything, because with the Covid number growing rapidly it was nearly impossible that we would be going back.
It was crushing, only being at college for such a short time and knowing that even though the school was saying two weeks, that wouldn’t be the reality.
The Insider:
Yes, that must have been painful on so many levels. You were right at the beginning of college, making new friends and getting settled. You were also getting to know your new teammates. And then BOOM! This un-heard of thing just happens.
Sophie Leeds:
Yes, exactly! It was very unexpected and from the time we first heard of Covid to being sent home felt so quick that it was a lot to process.
The Insider:
So, did your whole college go remote at that point?
Sophie Leeds:
Yes, we were completely remote for the rest of the year. It was a huge adjustment for the students and professors. There was definitely a learning curve with the situation being unprecedented. Everyone did the best they could to make the transition as easy as possible, but it was tough at times to learn and interact with my classmates.
The Insider:
Were you able to stay in touch with any of your new college friends at that point?
Sophie Leeds:
Yes, I felt we all did a good job of staying connected. There were lots of group chats and video calls, which helped us all feel less isolated. Our coaches also facilitated calls and we would do fun competitions like create funny TikToks or videos and work out plans to compete in groups against each other.
I remember playing a lot of games online and trying to make the best of the situation. At the time, no one really knew how long the world would be in lockdown, so it was best to take it a day at a time and try to stay as connected as possible while staying distanced and safe.
The Insider:
Were you living back at home with your parents at that point? What was that like? You had just made the big move away from home.
Sophie Leeds:
Yes, I lived with my parents, my brother and my dog! It was good living at home. Of course, I was bummed about having to leave school, but for the first few weeks it felt like a nice break from the stress associated with college. But after a few weeks. it felt like I was almost moving backwards, having lived away from home for the first time and faced new challenges associated with college. It felt like I was back in high school again.
Looking back now over three years later it was a very strange time. The world was on pause yet the schoolwork kept going. I felt like the uncertainty of not knowing when things would go back to normal. Whether we would go back in the fall was one of the hardest parts of the transition home.
The Insider:
Was it possible for college students to find romantic involvements at that point, or did social life just come to a grinding halt?
Sophie Leeds:
It was really hard to meet people in general, so dating people wasn’t really something a lot of people did given the circumstances, unless they were in a relationship prior to Covid. When the world started to reach some normalcy and people started to go out more, social distancing added a necessary barrier which prevented that aspect.
Most people were cautious of whom they were coming into contact with, I personally didn’t date anyone at the height of Covid and neither did anyone I knew. With safety being a big concern, that was definitely for the best.
The Insider:
I can understand that! As the pandemic went on, how did things begin to change on campus? How long was it before in-person classes resumed? Sports?
Sophie Leeds:
In fall 2020, there were some classes that were in person, but all of my classes were online. I chose to live at home because of this. The dorms were also opened in fall 2020. For the students who chose to dorm, there were strict social distancing policies and testing protocols.
I joined my school’s chapter of the American Marketing Association in fall 2020. We would meet a few times a week as well, though only virtually, so that helped keep me busy and engaged also.
My field hockey season was also canceled that fall. It was tough to have another season canceled due to Covid. Luckily, we were still able to practice a few times a week. I did not live too far from campus so I would commute for practice. Even though we play outside, we social distanced in pods, tested, and wore masks. And then in spring 2021, I moved back on campus.
The Insider:
What was your experience with Covid? Did you ever get it? Did your family or friends?
Sophie Leeds:
I had Covid once. I came into contact with someone who had Covid, so I got tested and I ended up testing positive. Luckily, I did not really have any symptoms. I was vaccinated and boosted at the time, so thanks to that I did not get very sick. This was around January 2022, during my winter break from college so I was living at home. I quarantined and was super careful, and no one in my family got it from me.
My parents had Covid also after that point, and they both were pretty sick. The majority of my friends also had it either once or a few times. But my brother, who was boosted, never got it, I’m jealous of that!
The Insider:
Do things feel “normal” now on campus? Have all of these pandemic precautions fallen away?
Sophie Leeds:
Yes, I would say everything was pretty much back to normal this past year. It felt like my first normal full year at college, where there wasn’t social distancing, testing, or masks. Covid affected every other year of my college experience pretty heavily. It’s crazy to think about how different my experience would have been. It’s very hard to grasp that, though, because I don’t have a normal college experience to compare it to. It’s upsetting to think about how much it has impacted all of us, I’m happy that my final year was normal.
The Insider:
If you had to sum up what you think the impact of the pandemic was on the Class of ’23, what do you think it was?
Sophie Leeds:
It was challenging to have such a different college experience than we had envisioned. We learned to adapt to make the most of the experience, and succeed beyond what we thought was possible.
The Insider:
So, it built character, even though it was tough?
Sophie Leeds:
I would say so. it was a learning curve and we had to adjust as we went, because things were changing so quickly. I feel stronger because of it, which is a silver lining of a horrible situation. A negative side of it was our expectations seem lower, having time and experiences taken from us it changed our perspectives.
The Insider:
Last question: what’s next?
Sophie Leeds:
I accepted a position at Hasbro on the U.S. marketing team for Disney Action Brands. I am working on the brand side for Marvel, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. I am moving to Providence, R.I. and am super excited. It’s been great so far!
The Insider:
Wow! Congratulations!
It has been so nice talking with you, Sophie. Thanks for your time, and all good luck!
Sophie Leeds:
Thanks!