Series:

UCLA's Covid Pandemic Experience

Topic:

COVID-19 Pandemic

Biographical Note:

UCLA graduate student and Class of 2020 undergraduate.

Interviewer:

Collings, Jane

Interviewee:

Tan, Jemma

Persons Present:

Tan and Collings

Place Conducted:

Because of the necessity of restricting personal contact during the COVID-19 pandemic, the interview was conducted via the Zoom video conferencing platform.

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library’s Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

The interview was conducted by Jane Collings, interviewer and series coordinator, UCLA Center for Oral History Research; Ph.D., Critical Studies in Film and Television, UCLA.

Processing of Interview:

The interviewer prepared a timed log of the audio recording of the interview. The interviewee was given the opportunity to review the log in order to supply missing or misspelled names and to verify the accuracy of the content. The corrections made were entered into the text without further editing or review on the part of the Center for Oral History Research staff.

Length:

1 hr

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

Interviews that reflect the experiences and the thoughts of members of the UCLA campus community on the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic . A number of Angelenos from the broader LA community participated in the project as well. Because of stipulations in legal agreements and other reasons, some oral histories in this series cannot be made available on line but are available on site at the UCLA Library. Please contact the Library Special Collections reference desk for further information.

First learning about COVID-19 from family and friends in Asia--UCLA closure and event cancellations--Impact on friend group--Canceling travel plans--Loss of senior year and graduation--Taking precautions against COVID-19--Parents urging her to return to Singapore--Challenges of remote instruction--Loss of graduation ceremony and celebrating with roommates--Remaining in Los Angeles--Work at UCLA Undergraduate Writing Center--Graduate program in teaching secondary English--Student teaching at a middle school and high school--Students’ challenges with remote instruction--Frustration at seeing pandemic worsen in U.S. while other countries improve--Difficulty of living far from family in other countries--Frustration that individualism of American culture has impeded pandemic management--Silver linings of resilience and more awareness of inequity--International perspective on racial justice movement--Hope that positive change will come out of this period