Small Business Owners – Christa Freeland

byMildret Orellana

After a year of owning the domain name “atxkit.com” co-founder Christa Freeland decided to launch her food kit supporting local Austin entrepreneurs during COVID-19. With a background in venture capital and tech startups Freeland has found similarities on how she’s dealing with the transition of working from home, and how the city of Austin is […]

Small Business Owners – Meagan Doyle

byMildret Orellana

  Meagan Doyle and three other students at the University of Texas at Austin were put in contact after talking about post graduation plans with a mutual contact/professor. Doyle and the other members of her team created Class of 2020 Agency, a marketing agency, after noticing jobs and internships were getting cancelled. Due to COVID-19, […]

Small Business Owners in a Pandemic

byMildret Orellana

Across Texas, small businesses have had to change the way they operate due to the effects of COVID-19. Some have had to pivot and adapt in order to create a profit, while others have seen a gap in the market to finally launch their idea or are simply looking for a creative outlet to keep […]

New Moms – Courtney Ross, 30

byMeredith Schmidt

  Courtney Ross of Dallas had to make a tough decision regarding the safety of her family and her nanny during this uncertain time. She knew she could no longer have her nanny work in her home taking care of her 8-month-old son Lawson, but she did not want to lose her nanny down the […]

New Moms – Maggie Rivera, 27

byMeredith Schmidt

Maggie Rivera of Round Rock gave birth to her youngest son, Giovanni, just 3 weeks ago. She shared how her hospital stay for the birth of Giovanni was different than for her 3 year old. She said that at the beginning of her visit she was scared, but she found her two-and-a-half day stay felt […]

New Moms – Katie Osborne, 35

byMeredith Schmidt

  Katie Osborne of Fort Worth is a mom to three young children. Her oldest, Avery, is 5-years-old, her middle child, Hunter, is 3-years-old, and her youngest, Bo, is 7-months-old. She has found that the hardest aspect of her life in a pandemic with Bo is juggling her two other children who would normally be […]

New Moms – Hallie McDermott, 31

byMeredith Schmidt

  Hallie McDermott has found a silver lining to sheltering-in-place in Houston with her 9-month-old daughter Mimi as her two sisters are with her too. She said she is thankful that her sisters have been able to have a little part in raising Mimi. After being furloughed from her job she has discovered an upside, […]

New Moms in a Pandemic

byMeredith Schmidt

My sister has a nine-month old son, so I talk to a new mom on the phone almost every day. She has given me direct insight to the unique struggles moms of infants are experiencing during this time. From cabin fever, to navigating tough child care decisions, to celebrating some of her son’s first holidays […]

New Moms – AnnahGrace Galindo, 20

byMeredith Schmidt

  At first, AnnahGrace Galindo wasn’t panicked about the pandemic–she was panicked about the panic surrounding it. Galindo lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband and their 7-month-old son, Romi. Her mom also lives in Fort Worth and made sure to buy baby supplies in bulk for AnnahGrace and Romi before things started to […]

Latinos/as – Rocio Rodriguez, 25

byJennifer Martinez

Rodriguez and her mother head a multi-generational house in Dallas. COVID-19 has led to financial uncertainty as they apply for unemployment benefits and perform risky essential work. “She didn’t want to put the burden on us of having to pick up the pieces.”   Return to Latinos/as in a Pandemic Return to the Life in […]

Latinos/as – Maria Lorena Quintanilla, 46

byJennifer Martinez

Maria Lorena Quintanilla is a housekeeper in Austin, Texas, where she has made a living as a housekeeper for 11 years. Stay-at-home orders limit the amount of work she can complete every week, and while her husband’s income helps keep the family afloat, Quintanilla is eager to return to the work she loves. “I do […]

Latinos/as – Kimberly Torres, 25

byJennifer Martinez

Kimberly Torres carries out essential work as a curb-side order packer for a major grocery store in Dallas, Texas. Torres says she’s one of the lucky ones; she has limited contact with customers and her employer provides necessary benefits. With her grandmother at home, she still worries about contracting the virus at work. “I would […]

Latinos/as – Diana Bocanegra, 23

byJennifer Martinez

Diana Bocanegra is a DACA recipient and waitress in Dallas, Texas. She worries that filing for unemployment amid COVID-19 will damage her chances of becoming documented in the future. She also worries her parents will become indebted as small business owners. “Honestly, I can’t see a positive to this yet.”   Return to Latinos/as in […]

Latinos/as – Alejandro Coronado, 22

byJennifer Martinez

Alejandro Coronado is a DACA recipient and furloughed retail worker in Dallas, Texas. Coronado is worried he contracted COVID-19 when he began taking odd jobs alongside his father to secure income. His family is undocumented and uninsured. “It’s frustrating that this is happening and that my family doesn’t have the support that, say, an American […]

Sports Journalists – Mark Skol, 24

byJames Grant

Mark Skol, sports director at WNDU in South Bend, Indiana, talked a lot about covering Notre Dame sports during the coronavirus pandemic, and how he has had to adjust the way he does his job in some ways. He mentioned how he has had to do Zoom interviews with Notre Dame Football Head Coach Brian […]

Sports Journalists – Larissa Liska, 27

byJames Grant

Larissa talked about how her station, WLTZ in Columbus, Georgia, has asked her to cover more news stories during the coronavirus pandemic. She also showed how she has transformed her living room into a makeshift studio for her to report from during this pandemic. Larissa talked about covering Auburn, Alabama and Georgia during the pandemic, […]

Sports Journalists – Amanda Atwell, 26

byJames Grant

Amanda Atwell talked about how her news director at CBS 4 (KVEO in Brownsville, Texas) let her and the other CBS 4 Sports anchor/reporter continue to cover sports during the coronavirus pandemic. She has had to report from her living room, like the other sports anchors/reporters I talked to, and she hasn’t been at the […]

Sports Journalists – Daniel Gotera, 36

byJames Grant

Daniel talked about how he has mostly been reporting from home for KHOU, Houston’s CBS affiliate, since around the time the coronavirus started to spread through the U.S.. He discussed how he has transferred his man cave at his home into a makeshift sports studio. He also mentioned how he has enjoyed doing Zoom interviews […]

Sports Journalists – Jeff Barker, 27

byJames Grant

During my interview with Jeff Barker, a sports anchor/reporter at CBS Austin (KXAN), he talked about how during the coronavirus pandemic he hasn’t been able to go out in Austin and interview as many coaches and athletes in person, so he has had to resort to Zoom interviews. He also talked about how he’s had […]

Latinos/as in a Pandemic

byJennifer Martinez

It is often said that COVID-19 does not discriminate when choosing victims, but as the pandemic unravels into an economic crisis, Latinos/as face unemployment and risky essential work at alarming rates. These are some of their stories.   Return to the Life in a Pandemic Main Page