Peter Robinson

Speakers: Brenan,Robinson

BRENAN:

I'm Camryn Brenan with the COVID Oral History Project at Wells College. Today's date is April 10 2022. I'm in leech hall with Peter Robinson. This is an unrehearsed recorded interview. Thank you for joining us today. I'd like to begin by getting to know more about your background. Could you start by telling us about yourself your full name, date of birth and where you were born?

ROBINSON:

My full name is Peter Eric Robinson. The second I was born on May 9 2003. In Gloversville, New York.

BRENAN:

Where did you live growing up?

ROBINSON:

I grew up in a small town called Hope New York, which was just inside the Adirondack Park.

BRENAN:

What was it like there?

ROBINSON:

just like Wells? Nothing around? rural, Awesome, Quiet.

BRENAN:

How is it similar or different from Aurora?

ROBINSON:

There's a lot of similarities. Not much differences, the only difference being on the lake. Most similarities being a small town, not many people around quiet.

BRENAN:

Who do you consider to be your family? Could you tell us about your family.

ROBINSON

My family consists of my mom, dad and sister. My Three Sets of grandparents, multiple aunts, uncles, and cousins, too many to count.

BRENAN:

Tell us about the people you lived with when you were growing up?

ROBINSON:

So I grew up grew up with my mom, sister, my father, my father's grand mom, and dad, his sister and her husband and her two children.

BRENAN:

Who were you especially close with?

ROBINSON:

Besides my, I was really close my sister, but I'm also really close with my grandmother.

BRENAN:

What were you like, as a child,

ROBINSON:

as a type of child to be always outside? doing random crap around the house like eating dirt? Like?

BRENAN:

Can you share a special memory about yourself as a child?

ROBINSON:

It may sound really, like weird, but the only memory I remember in my childhood is we were outside. I decided to slide down the slide a little bit different. It's just a thought it was cool. She did it and then she fell off the slide and broke her arm.

BRENAN:

Let's jump ahead in time to when you started to think about college. When did you? When did you first start thinking about going to college?

ROBINSON:

I start started to think about going to college probably my 10th grade year in high school.

BRENAN:

What expectations did you have for what college would be like?

ROBINSON:

I didn't have much. I have a lot of people that I know that were in college before me. So they kind of just told me. I didn't really have expectations.

BRENAN:

When did you first hear about wells college?

ROBINSON:

I first heard about wells college at a college tour, like fair type thing and Fmcc which is our local community college by my house.

BRENAN:

What made you decide to come to wells?

ROBINSON:

the small community, everybody knowing your name? professors, students, my best friend Camryn, the one doing interview came here to so

BRENAN:

what was the experience you were hoping to have at Wells?

ROBINSON:

Um, that's a great question. Um, I don't know really.

BRENAN:

What did you plan to study when you started college?

ROBINSON:

I planned on studying biochemistry when I first came in.

BRENAN:

What is your current major and your year?

ROBINSON:

I currently just switched to a biology major with a double minor in education and math. And I am class of 2025.

BRENAN:

What have you decided, Why did you decide on this major?

ROBINSON:

coming in as a biochemistry major, like I'm going to do a difference in the world, taking chemistry last semester, yeah, I had fun. I was the only like science class I took. This semester I'm taking a biology course with Jackie Skinner and Jensen. I also taken chemistry and it made me realize that once they started presenting the different stuff in bio that I grasped the concepts a lot easier than I did in chemistry.

BRENAN:

What do you plan to do after college?

ROBINSON:

I plan on going to go get my PhD at either Cornell or the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

BRENAN:

Let's Turn to the pandemic. Now. When did you hear about COVID-19? For the first time,

ROBINSON:

I heard about COVID-19 for the first time, when I was in school, it was March of my sophomore year. I was about to put on our production for a drama club and walked in the office. No, we're not doing it anymore. We got to cancel it because of COVID. I was like, What the heck is COVID?

BRENAN:

Yeah. What did you think about COVID? At that time,

ROBINSON:

at the time, to me just sounded like another sickness. Like, I didn't really put too much thought to it, but it's definitely changed.

BRENAN:

What were people around you saying at the time?

ROBINSON:

They weren't saying much because no one knew what it was. But yeah, everyone just thought it was a random sickness. Like that's just gonna die off eventually.

BRENAN:

What did you feel about these initial conversations that were happening regarding COVID?

ROBINSON:

I was kind of just like, interested because like science, diseases, cool. I wanted to gain more knowledge of why and what and how and all that stuff, which I ended up eventually getting the information that I wanted.

BRENAN:

When did you know that COVID was turning into something serious?

ROBINSON:

When the same year that we shut down for COVID Very shut down in two week increments. And then they ended up just canceling everything and canceling my sister's graduation. And then changed it as a prolonged closure of school made me realize that this is a really serious thing.

BRENAN:

How did you feel about that?

ROBINSON:

It scared me to be honest. My grandfather has health issues. So it didn't sit right with me. Because like, yeah, it's a normal sickness. Like everyone's like, Oh, it's like the flu, which I thought it was too until I actually saw that my grandpa actually ended up getting COVID. And I saw what it did to his body, and it just put a toll on him. And he's been almost a year since he's tested positive, and he's still not his normal self. He's getting out of breath when he's walking upstairs and just everything is just a lot harder for him to do.

BRENAN:

Were you a student at Wells when the pandemic began?

ROBINSON:

I was not no.

BRENAN:

Okay, so moving to lockdown. Where were you when the lockdown start?

ROBINSON:

I was at my house.

BRENAN:

Who did you spend the lockdown with?

ROBINSON:

I spent the lockdown with my mom. Because, her work got closed down and along with my sister

BRENAN:

How did you life change during lockdown?

ROBINSON:

a lot. I think the major part was realizing how important family is spending like quality. Like, yeah, you're cooped up in your house for extended period of times. But you realize that the quality of family time that you need, you didn't get until then and you made it made me realize that family was a lot, a great value to have.

BRENAN:

Are there any special moments you got to have with your mom and your sister?

ROBINSON:

Um, again, this may sound really morbid. But once we opened back up, and like we started going back to school and everything I was exposed COVID At school. And my mom got the phone call. I didn't know yet. And then she called me because I need to get tested on your way home from school. Like okay, and they had me stay 00:09:00in my room for two days by myself. And my sister delivered food to me at the door. It was it was like, it may sound really weird being like, Oh, you're quarantine for COVID. But it was funny at the same time because we had fun with it. Yeah, but you got to make this really hard time on yourself. Make it happy. So you won't forget it. Like you probably want to forget it. I can tell you right now I want to forget it. But there's some things that you won't forget being in there

BRENAN:

tell us what your daily life and routine was like during this time.

ROBINSON:

So it changed a lot from like, when everything was normal. I realized that I slept a lot more like there's nothing to do around the house. I would get up to school. Sometimes it would be a full class period sometimes it'd be like five minutes. There's changed a lot they could just didn't feel right to me. But now it feels like it's normal. And being here with like some COVID restrictions fell in place. It just feels like another thing I had to adapt to Coming to college,

BRENAN:

I definitely felt like school was definitely. I didn't feel necessary.

ROBINSON:

Yeah, I just kind of felt a lack of education. I just didn't. We didn't take any regents as we didn't do anything like, we barely did schoolwork, because like, they're like, we can't like hold these kids count on me. Yeah, it was one of those things where it's like, school. Is it really school at this point? Or is it just sitting on a computer talking with your friends and your teacher?

BRENAN;

Yeah, like, for me, I took an AP course. And because of the COVID, we couldn't really take that course. So I never really got that course. So like, I felt like it really impacted. Education. So for you, what challenges did you and others face.

ROBINSON:

So the challenge that I faced the most was, I ended up. I was taking chemistry at the time. And I'm like, if I going into college for biochemistry, which I already knew by then I'm going to need this chemistry. And he just started giving us like review work for studying for the Regents is because he's like, I don't know if we're not going to have them or not. We're not supposed to give you any work yet. Kind of do these. Study for the Regents is and then we ever like we only made it halfway through the curriculum. So coming into college and taking the introduction for CAB. There are some things that I didn't learn. But I had to learn through college that kind of made it more difficult. That's probably about it, like chemistry was definitely a big impact on everything.

BRENAN:

How did you overcome these challenges?

ROBINSON:

I befriended people that knew what they were doing and understood everything that they were doing. I wanted to make sure that I was grasping the concept and enough, so I would like ask for extra help when I needed it. I would talk to my friends make sure I'm doing it right. I still sometimes don't understand it, but I'm getting a lot better.

BRENAN

Were there any unexpected benefits that emerge? For you during the lockdown?

ROBINSON:

Benefits I would say just family time again, like it definitely benefited me spending time with my family. Because when I was in school, I played sports so and I was in drama club, I had a lot going on. So I really didn't get to spend a lot of time with my family.

BRENAN:

Being a collage student, in what ways did the pandemic impact you as a college student?

ROBINSON:

Um, it really didn't. Because like I wasn't here, when it first started, I came in with it just being a mask mandate in place. So I really didn't, really hasn't affected me as much as other students have.

BRENAN:

What challenges did you face?

ROBINSON:

Probably the mask like I don't like masks. That's about it. Call it on classes. I feel like we're normal, but I have nothing to compare them to. I feel like they're a little less hands on though. But just Masks really?

BRENAN:

Were you able to meet these challenges?

ROBINSON:

Um, for the most part, I would say there's some times I'm like, No, I gotta just run that through my brain. Like, why are we still learning these like, they're not helping our immune system. They're just making their immune system work weaker. So you take them off and then boom, you're all of you guys are like all of us are gonna end up getting sick. So it's like, I feel like it. Yeah, maybe helping in the long run. But sometimes it's just like, it's not the same time.

BRENAN:

Yeah. Did were you able to meet these challenges?

ROBINSON:

Yes.

BRENAN:

Did any unexpected benefits or opportunities emerge as a result of the pandemic?

ROBINSON:

Um, I wouldn't say no

BRENAN:

in what ways did wells in life at Wells change over the course of the pandemic?

ROBINSON:

From what I can gather, it's changed a lot. They some things haven't happened for three years until this year. So I'm like, grateful. I'm like getting the first hand experience of wells College as the fullest. But like, I also feel bad for the kids that didn't get to do it at the same time. It's like odd and even 00:15:00and all these dances that we're doing and stuff.

BRENAN:

What do you think of these those changes?

ROBINSON:

Um, I feel like it was not fair to the students because some people got like their senior year taken from them and that stuff. Like I said, I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to kind of have a normal college first year. Yeah.

BRENAN:

Wells, has many traditions, how were they impacted during this pandemic?

ROBINSON:

Like I said, a lot of them got taken away, because like, a lot of people go to these both traditions, especially on uneven so I don't have much like firsthand experience of why and like, how much has changed. But like, I was happy that they got to do it. This semester, last semester, I enjoyed it a lot, actually.

BRENAN:

Did you notice differences in perception of the pandemic, between the community at Wells and your community back home?

ROBINSON:

I would say no, to an extent, there's some things that like were here that we're doing a little bit differently than they're doing at home, and vice versa. I feel like it's just the administration or like, whoever is like, in charge of making these decisions, just everybody has different views on Yeah, some people are like, Oh, that's just the flu. And some people are like, Oh, my God, you're gonna die. So it's like one of those things where it's kind of just like, changes periodically, from where you travel to and all that.

BRENAN:

would you say these differences impacted you? And if so how?

ROBINSON:

I feel like they didn't pass me for some things like, going from my high school. Having all these like six feet, Oak Park can't take your mask off in class can't even drink out of a water bottle. Like all these things that they put in place after we actually went back to school. And then coming back here, like where only wear a mask, Like, I feel like it benefited me a lot, because actually can can live my life a little bit early. That's still not 100%. But hopefully, it'll get their someday.

BRENAN:

So moving on to government response, as scientists learned more about the virus, government officials began to impose mandates. What did you think? When the mask mandate began?

ROBINSON:

I thought it was stupid. being invested in science, I paid attention a lot in high school. And it's like all these things. Like, yeah, it's stupid, but also like it helps you in the long run. Or sometimes it's like, no. So they like the mask mandate, something that we needed. I don't think we really need it anymore. Yeah. But I can't make that decision. I'm only a college student.

BRENAN:

What were your thoughts when a vaccine was announced?

ROBINSON:

Being my normal self, I was kind of hesitant to get it so early. I didn't end up 00:18:00getting it. So really, because yeah, it may have worked on the trial patient. But when you start dispersing the vaccination around the world, around the country, it's going to change periodically, and like some people may have it, get the vaccination, but it might make them even weaker, more prone to getting it. So the vaccination at first I was like, kind of hesitant, but then I ended up getting it, I ended up getting the booster and everything like that. And I've actually seen a lot of changes, like going back to my grandfather, when he got COVID, he had only his first shock. He didn't have a second round yet. Were thinking because it was really bad. He went in the ambulance a couple of times from the house, he was having a hard time breathing, barely could breathe. So us things like our family were thinking like the first vaccination could have saved his life. Because like he has a pacemaker. He has kidney problems. He has all these different illnesses and medical issues. But their first vaccination, I feel like helped him a lot. And that's part of the reason I got it is because I didn't want to bring it home and give it to him again. Like I wouldn't feel horrible if I did it.

BRENAN:

So what did you think of the vaccine mandates?

ROBINSON:

Um, I feel like, Yeah, I'm gonna tell everybody like, you should get your shot. But I'm not the type of person to be like, let's come to your beliefs tough. You get it. Like, I don't think it's proper for the government to force everybody to get a vaccination if they don't believe in vaccinations, like, it's your own body and you're putting that in your body. Like if you don't believe in it, don't put it in your body like it's your own choice. I feel like the government making a mandate is just wrong.

BRENAN:

what did you make of the controversy that emerged over these mandates? What did you make of the controversy that emerged over these mandates?

ROBINSON:

It's a great question. Like really great question that I even know how to answer.

BRENAN:

Again, you don't have to answer if you don't want to.

ROBINSON:

I just I don't know how how to answer it.

BRENAN:

Yeah. The government provided stimulus checks during this time. What did you think of that decision?

ROBINSON:

Um, I thought that this one was wise, personally, because like, you have these families that are barely getting by paycheck to paycheck, and also on this COVID-19 virus comes around and shuts everything down. One of my family members was hugely impacted by it, because she has a single mom of three children. She 00:21:00had a job at the time, but like when COVID-19 It was like really rough for her at the beginning. So I believe the stimulus checks helped a great, like, helped a lot due to the fact of like, so many single moms and like single fathers, or even people that just have like, minimum paying jobs, just getting by paycheck to paycheck, and then having this money disappear on them. And then getting the stimulus check in the mail. I feel like it helped a lot.

BRENAN:

So did the stimulus checks impact you and your family specifically?

ROBINSON:

Um, I would say yes, and no to that same type, like, it's one of those questions that are like can go either way. Yes, it did. Because like my mom, luckily, she was able to work from home. So she was still getting paid. But like, her hours were cut a little bit, and we're still bringing in money. But the stimulus checked helping, especially with my sister being in college. And then eventually, my mom picked up her. I don't even want to call it her, like extra income, side business. She's just yeah, she has a side business. So that definitely helped a lot.

BRENAN:

For So, political activism, several political protests took place during this period. Many had to do with COVID. But others were associated with Black Lives Matter and other social movements. Did you and others around you participate in these protests? Can you tell us about that experience?

ROBINSON:

I personally didn't. I know people that did. Most of them were people of color, which that's not like, anything that has to do with it. I'm just the type of person to be more, like, relaxed with politics and like, but I'm not that type of person to get interfering with all that stuff. Like, yeah, I'm not going to stop you go protest like thats your own opinion, but I'm the type of person just kind of like, stay in the foreground. And like when my opinions needed, I'll put my opinion in, but I don't want to get involved in those type of things.

BRENAN:

Did the pandemic factor into this decision at all?

ROBINSON:

It did not really. It's just one of those decisions I've always had growing up learning like in history, just having that mindset, like politics or just politics, like, I'm just the type of person to be like, am why like, why are you doing this.

BRENAN:

Now moving on to Illness and grieve. I'd like to ask your personal experience 00:24:00with covid these questions will focus on illness and possibly bring your grief and other challenging topics? Remember, we skip any question that makes you uncomfortable? Did illness impact you and your family?

ROBINSON:

It did. As I said, times before, my grandfather, I COVID. I think he's the only one that got COVID in my family. I was really sick before COVID was a thing. But that was like before COVID was a thing but other than that my grandfather was the only one.

BRENAN:

How did this personal experience with COVID impact your outlook on the pandemic?

ROBINSON:

It made me realize that this is like a true deadly disease that needs to be taken care of any way that you possibly can. It made me realize that I wanted to get the vaccination without my mom even telling me. Boosters same thing. I know my sister was kind of hesitant about the booster but she ended up getting it. I'm actually the only person that's not vaccinating my family is my little cousin. But I have two cousins that I'm like live they live right right across the street from him the youngest one he's think he's turning 10. He walked up to my aunt and goes Mom, I want the shot, I don't feel safe. So, like that just like made me realize, like, if a nine year old saying that they don't feel safe. I feel like it's a really bad thing that's happening and it's in the history books. Our kids are going to learn about it. And

BRENAN:

and do you feel like you also is doing that because of Grandpa?

ROBINSON:

Oh, most definitely. Because they're really close to my grandfather, as well as my sister and I. But I just I've they saw it too. Like they saw it.. Yeah. And I know it scared my cousin. And it scared me. Like, I was like, I'm not like, I don't want this to happen.

BRENAN

well, they're still young,

ROBINSON

they are really young.

BRENAN:

Looking back on these experience, what do you take away from them?

ROBINSON:

Um, follow what you're being told to do. Mask mandates? Yes. Some people don't believe them. Originally, I was like, it's just going to make your immune system worse with like, I am saying that right now to like, three years after actually. Yeah. But like, I feel like I was starting in the middle when cases were climbing like, hundreds of 1000s of people every day, had something that we needed to be taken seriously. So I definitely feel like,

BRENAN:

yeah, you can never be too cautious. Yeah. I'm going back to normal now that vaccines are available in cases or decreasing life is closer to how things were prior to pandemic. How do you think that transition is going?

ROBINSON:

I think the transition is going fairly well? Um, I feel like everybody's like, what's the mass? Because, like, I feel like that's the only thing that's left on these COVID-19 Like, element. Yeah, COVID-19 is here, but it's like, the flu at 00:27:00this point. Like, it's gonna be like something that's gonna I feel like, you're never gonna get rid of it. The flu still here. Like, you're gonna have the COVID-19 still gonna stick around? Like, no matter what, you can't just like, completely kill it off. It's gonna be here, but I feel like it's just gonna be like the flu eventually, like a couple of

BRENAN:

And there are so many variants.

ROBINSON:

But I feel like once the mask mandate is up, I feel like people are like, we are free.

BRENAN:

Yeah, for sure. How do you feel about the transition back to normal?

ROBINSON:

I love it. I was getting sick of everything. I was getting sick of making sure you had a mask when you have to make sure you had your wallet, your keys and everything. Like, I can't tell you how many times we got 10 minutes away from my house. I'm like, Mom, I forgot my mask. She's like, nothing. I got some in the car. Like, yeah, those things. Like,

BRENAN:

one of the things you have to make sure you keep in the car.

ROBINSON:

Like another one of those things that you got to remember you have like, constantly

BRENAN:

Yeah. How will you make decisions about maths and such when the mandates lift?

ROBINSON:

I feel like I'm the type of person to be like, yeah, masks help. They don't at the same time. If I'm at home, I know most people in my town, like, obviously haven't wear masks like the mask mandates lift. For most, like back again, it's lifted because the New York State just place one, but it just got lifted. So I kind of feel like it's kinda like a personal opinion type of situation. Like if you don't feel comfortable in the situation you're in. I don't think people should judge you for having a mask on which. I know. There's people that judge people for wearing a mask

BRENAN:

the future what lessons or knowledge have you gained over the past three years of the pandemic that you will take with you into the future?

ROBINSON:

That's a great question. A really, yes. It makes me think about everything like...I would say like a lesson would it be like, spend more time with your family? That's gonna make you a better person, a well rounded person. And like, when you go off to college, like I did, I wasn't like too badly home sick, like, like everybody has, but like, I feel like COVID-19 helped with that situation like, so much where I was kind of getting sick of my family around them constantly. So like, going away from college and like having these mandates get lifted, and it's just family time, I know is quite what you need it. So that's definitely a huge lesson.

BRENAN:

Closing the interview as we conclude this interview, are there any topics you expected or hoped that we would cover? But that we haven't addressed today?

ROBINSON:

No, I feel like you've covered everything that I would think COVID-19 I know is a big thing, and I feel like you guys covered. These are great questions. Since by the way guys made me think about some questions, because like some questions I'm like, I've never thought of it that way like before, so made me open my eyes a lot bigger and wider about COVID-19 as a whole.

BRENAN:

Okay, are there any topics in our conversation that you would like to revisit.

ROBINSON:

No, I think I"m good.

BRENAN:

Okay, thank you for doing this interview and have a great day.

ROBINSON:

You're welcome.

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