Holy Cross Student Project Documenting the Pandemic Featured on GBH’s ‘In It Together’

HC mask. Photo by Avanell Chang

GBH Radio

Last spring, a group of 12 Holy Cross students launched "COVID Chronicles," a project seeking to document on- and off-campus life during the pandemic. Under the guidance of history professors Cynthia Hooper and Lorelle Semley, the students gathered information, oral histories and visual media.

Now, a year after the initial coronavirus outbreak, the project and its digital archive were featured on GBH's "In It Together" segment. Host Arun Rath had high praise for the three interviewed students, Elle Kearns '22, Helena Connell '22 and Sienna Ablorh '21, referring to their takes on the complex issues researched as simply "brilliant."

And with an additional $6,000 grant from the College's Committee on Faculty Scholarship allowing the project to continue through the summer, six students—located in Athens, Oxford, Washington, D.C. and Worcester—will continue their work to refine and redesign the digital archive.

To commemorate an extraordinary year, the COVID Chronicles team has launched two challenges, both aiming to collect content in the form of an image or a reflection that depicts an aspect of the pandemic-era experience. They encourage members of the Holy Cross community and beyond—including alumni, family members, and anyone interested in this project—to submit materials.

Submissions will be posted on the digital archive website as they come in, and three winning entries will be selected for each category after the deadline of April 19, for a total of $1,000 in cash prizes.

To listen to the segment, visit WGBH.org. To participate in the challenges, visit COVIDChronicles.holycross.edu.

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