As communities everywhere grapple with the new reality of the corona virus pandemic, the University of Notre Dame is highlighting the stories of students whose lives have been directly affected by COVID-19.
It’s part of the university’s new efforts to connect Domers around the world following the cancellation of in-person classes and the uncertainty over when things will go back to normal.
Kenzie Isaac, a senior majoring in Sociology and minoring in Latino Studies and Data Science, is currently dealing with the infection of her 89-year-old grandmother and her aunt.
The Indiannapolis native and 45 other Notre Dame community members were on their way back from a Spring Break civil rights pilgrimage when they heard the news that in-person classes had been cancelled and that the pandemic was getting serious.
The situation has brought up a wave of emotions for Isaac, as she shares in “Corona Stories” on Notre Dame’s main website.
“With two of my relatives extremely ill from COVID-19, it’s difficult to mull over any of the other challenges brought about by this virus,” Issac says.
“I have to remind myself that it’s okay to be a little disappointed about not having a traditional Commencement this year. I have to remind myself not to feel so angry and unsettled when other students complain about missing their friends, while I’m begging God every day that my aunt and grandmother beat this formidable monster.”
Her faith in God and the love of friends and family is what’s keeping her strong during these trying moments, Issac says.
“I have friends whom I don’t have to physically see to know they love me, and that I love them back. I still have an unchanging God, who with each passing day — each day that I hear that my grandmother and aunt are still doing fine — fills me with an abundance of hope.”
Read Kenzie Isaac’s COVID-19 story and that of six other Notre Dame students here.