Date Digital: 4/20/2011]]>
As a senior at Loyola University Chicago, majoring in advertising, public relations, and history, the COVID 19 pandemic has completely altered my life. While applying for jobs, the opportunities have become much more limited as time has continued. As a student, I am not eligible for the Federal Unemployment Fund, which has left my husband and I scraping for freebies and any food we can grab. I reached out to the department of financial aid at Loyola, and they simply offered me another loan to deepen my debt of over $100,000 that I have already accumulated from Loyola. I can’t afford to take out more money, because my credit score is only at 600 and no one is willing to cosign my loan.

My husband, an immigrant from Mexico, is unable to apply for any assistance due to his immigration status. We are currently in the process of fixing his status to make him a legal citizen, so the very little money we have goes to our attorney. He works in the food industry as a server and is currently on furlough without any pay. As I write this, we have now gone into our 24th day of quarantine. We have not been able to pay rent, and our landlord is pushing payments to the end of our lease, adding an additional $400 to our rent each month we are unable to pay. I am thankful for our health, but I wonder and question the length of our sanity with the piling of bills and unemployment without benefits.

I share this story as a student studying history, acknowledging the importance of stories from those who are voiceless. We all are impacted in our own way, and no one is suffering alone. All I can do is pray that our sisters, brothers, mothers, and fathers will be kept safe in times of such pain and sorrow. As Americans, we are resilient, we are strong, and we will conquer every battle with decisiveness and grit as we take on the invisible enemy.

Chicago Resident]]> Date Digital: 4/7/2011]]> Date Digital: 4/7/2011]]>