In March of 2020, as the pandemic was beginning to forever reshape our lives, we began recording people’s stories.

We spoke with hundreds of people from all over the country. They shared challenges and triumphs, work-from-home adjustments, overwhelming obstacles, and surprising silver linings. Many of the insights from this series went on to inform our whitepapers: The Generational Implications of COVID-19 and The Great Acceleration: A Retrospective and an Exploration Into the Future.

Something about the conversations with young adults specifically captured us. What is it like to step into first jobs, first serious relationships, first identity crises against a backdrop of global uncertainty?

We created a sub-cohort focused exclusively on the pandemic college experience. Many of the students in this group are participating in a 6-year study about how the pandemic changed the experience of young adulthood in America.

The stories they shared were honest and vulnerable. We wanted to authentically showcase that. We took a small sampling of the many stories shared with us and had the audio brought to life with animation.

We are so grateful to these students for letting us into their lives for the past few years, and for letting us share their honesty and wisdom.

Video Gallery

These videos capture stories from interviews conducted in 2020 and 2021. In early 2020 I spoke to students as they evacuated campus for what they thought would be a few weeks. Then in 2021 I spoke to them during what I now refer to as “Euphoric June”—those magical few months that were post-vaccine, pre-Delta wave. Each 60-second clip gives some insight into what it’s like to come of age in a pandemic.