Interview with Nicole Geer
IntervieweeInterview with
Nicole Geer
InterviewerInterviewed by
Felicia Pilewski
Date2023 March 16
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 28 Minutes, 54 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Object number2022.20.59a-b
Description(a) Interview with Nicole Geer. Interviewed by Felicia Pilewski on 16 March 2023 in Farmington, Connecticut. (b) Photograph of Nicole Geer 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.
Nicole Geer is a 27-year-old healthcare worker living in New Britain, Connecticut. During the pandemic, Nicole worked three jobs, in addition to going to school. She worked as a technician trainer at CVS, a practice manager at a Primary Care Provider's (PCP) office, and a bartender at a brewery. While many of her peers began working from home in the Spring of 2020, Nicole was on the front lines. Her job at CVS immediately transitioned to working as a Covid tester, and later administering vaccines. Nicole recalled spending much of her time educating people about Covid and about the efficacy of vaccines. She expressed frustration over the amount of misinformation circulating on “Facebook University,” and strongly supported both mask and vaccine mandates.
Nicole’s personal relationships were greatly affected by the pandemic. While her relationships with friends were strengthened, she experienced the opposite with her family. Many members of her immediate family were anti-vaxxers, a viewpoint that intensified with Covid-19. During the time she was working to administer vaccines, she was shocked to discover that her family had chosen not to vaccinate her as a child, and she was completely unvaccinated aside from flu shots and the Covid-19 vaccine she had received as an adult. She assumed since she had attended public school that she
received the required vaccines. She immediately rectified this, but due to her age had to pay out of pocket to receive all of her vaccines.
When asked what advice she would give to those who experience pandemics in the future, Nicole responded, “Listen to what medical professionals have to say the first time.”
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.Nicole Geer is a 27-year-old healthcare worker living in New Britain, Connecticut. During the pandemic, Nicole worked three jobs, in addition to going to school. She worked as a technician trainer at CVS, a practice manager at a Primary Care Provider's (PCP) office, and a bartender at a brewery. While many of her peers began working from home in the Spring of 2020, Nicole was on the front lines. Her job at CVS immediately transitioned to working as a Covid tester, and later administering vaccines. Nicole recalled spending much of her time educating people about Covid and about the efficacy of vaccines. She expressed frustration over the amount of misinformation circulating on “Facebook University,” and strongly supported both mask and vaccine mandates.
Nicole’s personal relationships were greatly affected by the pandemic. While her relationships with friends were strengthened, she experienced the opposite with her family. Many members of her immediate family were anti-vaxxers, a viewpoint that intensified with Covid-19. During the time she was working to administer vaccines, she was shocked to discover that her family had chosen not to vaccinate her as a child, and she was completely unvaccinated aside from flu shots and the Covid-19 vaccine she had received as an adult. She assumed since she had attended public school that she
received the required vaccines. She immediately rectified this, but due to her age had to pay out of pocket to receive all of her vaccines.
When asked what advice she would give to those who experience pandemics in the future, Nicole responded, “Listen to what medical professionals have to say the first time.”
Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
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