Interview with Yamary Vasquez
Date2022 June 7
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 12 Minutes, 16 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
DescriptionInterview with Yamary Vasquez. Interviewed by Joselyn Vega on 7 June 2022 at New Britain High School, 110 Mill St., New Britain, Connecticut. 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 the interview Yamary was a high school student. She recalled first hearing about COVID at school, but she thought it was a joke. She stated that it was scary to go to school and that everything became hectic.
Yamary described personal choice during a pandemic as selfish, particularly when your choices hurt others.
She agreed with mask and vaccine mandates, despite being anti-vaccine early on because of the potential side affects.
Yamary strongly disliked remote learning. She began failing classes and lost connections with many people. Yamary felt that the biggest thing she lost during the pandemic was her sophomore year of high school. She also lost a lot of friends during the pandemic and was not able to visit her dad.
She did find new hobbies including gardening and sculpting. Her greatest lesson was to not take things for granted, especially her mother.
Yamary described the 2020 election as “very unprofessional” and would have voted for Joe Biden if she was old enough to vote.
At the time of the interview Yamary was a high school student. She recalled first hearing about COVID at school, but she thought it was a joke. She stated that it was scary to go to school and that everything became hectic.
Yamary described personal choice during a pandemic as selfish, particularly when your choices hurt others.
She agreed with mask and vaccine mandates, despite being anti-vaccine early on because of the potential side affects.
Yamary strongly disliked remote learning. She began failing classes and lost connections with many people. Yamary felt that the biggest thing she lost during the pandemic was her sophomore year of high school. She also lost a lot of friends during the pandemic and was not able to visit her dad.
She did find new hobbies including gardening and sculpting. Her greatest lesson was to not take things for granted, especially her mother.
Yamary described the 2020 election as “very unprofessional” and would have voted for Joe Biden if she was old enough to vote.
Object number2022.20.61
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.Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
Subject Terms
- New Britain
- People of color
- Oral history
- Interviews
- COVID-19 (Disease)
- COVID-19 (Disease)
- COVID-19 Pandemic (2020)
- Oral narratives
- Women
- Puerto Ricans
- Mexican Americans
- Hispanic people
- High school students
- Students
- Masks
- Face masks
- Vaccines
- Vaccine hesitancy
- Vaccine mandates
- Online learning and distance education
- Mental health
- Mental health stigmas
- Elections
- Voting
- Trump, Donald, 1946-
- Teenagers
- Biden, Joseph R., Jr., 1942-
- Interviews and Oral Histories
- Born Digital Audio
- Community History Project IMLS Museums for America Grant
- COVID-19 Pandemic Collection
Collections
- COVID-19 Pandemic Oral History Interviews (Community History Project), 2022-2023
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2022 June 6
2022 September 29