Interview with Shellena Pitterson
InterviewerInterviewed by
Peter Moran
Date2022 June 8
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 1 Hour, 53 Minutes, 42 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Object number2022.20.14a-b
Description(a) Interview with Shellena Pitterson. Interviewed by Peter Moran on June 8, 2022 at Otis Library, 261 Main Street, Norwich. (b) Photograph of Shellena Pitterson taken at her interview. She was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Historical Society's Community History Project discussing her experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
At the time of interview Shellena was an architectural drafter and the owner of a residential cleaning business called Orchid Maids. She launched her cleaning business in October 2019.
She first heard about COVID around Christmas of 2019. The first disruption to her life was when a convention at Mohegan Sun was canceled because her business was supposed to have a presence there.
Shellena shared her feelings regarding the racial unrest during the pandemic. It deeply affected her. She attended marches, but felt like it’s still the status quo in the United States.
Following the news caused Shellena to feel anxious because of the non-stop flow of distressing news stories. She says it forced people to “get out of their bubble” and acknowledge things like the quality of the healthcare system, racism, police brutality, and the failings of the education system.
As a community-minded person, Shellena worried how the pandemic affected the community economically since people could not and would not work. She made changes in her business to have more control over it and to benefit her workers, which she hoped would benefit her community. She also felt that people should have worn masks to protect their community rather than complaining about the masks infringing on their freedom.
Shellena was supportive of the vaccines but will likely not continue to get boosters. She stated that getting a vaccine should be a personal choice.
She believes she contracted COVID at a rest stop during a road trip. Her children also had COVID at different times.
Shellena discusses what it was like returning to the office and the changes that college classes had to make for in-person classes. While at home on medical leave from her office job, she was able to focus on growing her cleaning business.
She shared a story of one of her employees worrying about not being able to find childcare for a few weeks. Shellena was able to accommodate that employee’s schedule and give her the time off she needed to care for her child. She explains that sympathizing with employees and being flexible with their schedules has resulted in very loyal employees who do great work for the company, which keeps Shellena and her employees happy.
Shellena described the pandemic as life changing. Her biggest lesson from the pandemic was to have faith. Her advice to people experiencing a future pandemic is to listen to scientists and think of your loved ones.
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Historical Society’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the impact of Covid-19 on Connecticans, particularly on Black and Brown communities, funeral homes, and on nursing home and elder care populations.At the time of interview Shellena was an architectural drafter and the owner of a residential cleaning business called Orchid Maids. She launched her cleaning business in October 2019.
She first heard about COVID around Christmas of 2019. The first disruption to her life was when a convention at Mohegan Sun was canceled because her business was supposed to have a presence there.
Shellena shared her feelings regarding the racial unrest during the pandemic. It deeply affected her. She attended marches, but felt like it’s still the status quo in the United States.
Following the news caused Shellena to feel anxious because of the non-stop flow of distressing news stories. She says it forced people to “get out of their bubble” and acknowledge things like the quality of the healthcare system, racism, police brutality, and the failings of the education system.
As a community-minded person, Shellena worried how the pandemic affected the community economically since people could not and would not work. She made changes in her business to have more control over it and to benefit her workers, which she hoped would benefit her community. She also felt that people should have worn masks to protect their community rather than complaining about the masks infringing on their freedom.
Shellena was supportive of the vaccines but will likely not continue to get boosters. She stated that getting a vaccine should be a personal choice.
She believes she contracted COVID at a rest stop during a road trip. Her children also had COVID at different times.
Shellena discusses what it was like returning to the office and the changes that college classes had to make for in-person classes. While at home on medical leave from her office job, she was able to focus on growing her cleaning business.
She shared a story of one of her employees worrying about not being able to find childcare for a few weeks. Shellena was able to accommodate that employee’s schedule and give her the time off she needed to care for her child. She explains that sympathizing with employees and being flexible with their schedules has resulted in very loyal employees who do great work for the company, which keeps Shellena and her employees happy.
Shellena described the pandemic as life changing. Her biggest lesson from the pandemic was to have faith. Her advice to people experiencing a future pandemic is to listen to scientists and think of your loved ones.
Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
Status
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