Preparing for a Virtual Summer Experience

Many of you are about to embark on your summer experience, and many of you are disappointed that it is virtual. That's completely understandable! Just keep in mind their are still plenty of positives to take away from this experience.

Here are some quotes from seniors Mikayla Higgins and Lauryn Davis who share their positive takeaways from their experience at Missouri University's Virtual Journalism Workshop last summer:

"The camp lasted only a week and everyday I learned something I did not know before. I was able to get a deeper understanding about the world of journalism and a possible career path in Public relations...The professors were very open and warm hearted about us having a relationship outside the camp and communicate with them after the workshop as possible contacts. "-Lauryn Davis, Class of 2021, Middle College

"While participating in the program I learned valuable time management skills, while also getting a glimpse of my future career....The thing I liked the most about the program was the variety of speakers that joined in. I believe that if the program was done in person those speakers may not have been able to contribute to the experience and by the program being virtual it made them more accessible to us students."-Mikayla Higgins, Class of 2021, Whitehaven High

Words of advice

"It is important that you all take the initiative to learn more about your peers,

speakers, and teachers and make sure you are equipped with the tools necessary to be successful in the program. We are all REACH students which means we have the ability to be successful in anything as long as we give enough effort. Your summer experiences can lead to growth in many ways. It is your choice whether or not it happens."

-Mikayla Higgins, Class of 2021, Whitehaven High

Kelley Stone (Bartlett High, Class of 2022) who participated in the University of TN's Accounting and Information Management (AIM) Program last summer. She gives her advice and shares about her summer experience in the video below!

COVID Mythbusters

We have all seen it. Those pesky posts appearing on our Instagram and Facebook timelines filled with supposed facts and hidden truths behind COVID-19 and the vaccine. But some of these posts are very convincing. So much so that you hear them being repeated by your best friend, mother, and neighbor. How do you separate fact from an act? Here are our top five COVID-19 myths, Debunked!

#1 The COVID-19 vaccine causes infertility.

There has been no scientific evidence for the vaccine causing infertility. In fact, during the Pfizer vaccine trials, there was an equal number of women from those who received the vaccine and those given a placebo who became pregnant. There was one loss of pregnancy BUT it was from a woman in the placebo group. There has been no link between infertility and the vaccine in human nor animal trials. Pregnant women are actually encouraged to get the COVID vaccine as contracting COVID during pregnancy increases risk of hospitalisation for treatment and preterm labor.

#2 You do not need to be vaccinated if you already had COVID

Although research conducted in La Jolla institute of Immunology showed that immunity following covid recovery lasted upwards of 8 months, it was not applicable to all people and began to decline for some after the 6 month mark. In other words, there is not yet a way to predict exactly how long post-COVID immunity lasts. It may make a second COVID contraction have less serious symptoms but does not fully protect from contraction of the virus. It is best to be vaccinated no matter prior history with the virus.

#3 if you get contract COVID, you WILL die

We associate COVID symptoms with coughing and difficulty breathing, but for many these symptoms can reach extremes. That does not necessarily mean that testing positive for COVID is a countdown to death. There are a multitude of factors that must be taken into consideration to assess the risk of death for an affected person. Many deaths are a result of COVID in combination with factors such as old age and underlying conditions. Genetics play a major role in mortality as some have better functioning immune systems than others. Contracting COVID is not a death sentence, but may cause complications with preexisting conditions.

#4 COVID is the same as the common cold

Many symptoms are shared between coronavirus and the common cold. This may cause them to be confused as one another, but COVId-19 is not the same as the common cold. COVID-19 is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 while the common cold is caused by a series of viruses with the most common being rhinoviruses. The common cold is incurable but treatment is available such as over-the-counter medicine. COVID-19 can be cured and has a series of vaccines such as the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in existence to allow people to gain immunity.

#5 The COVID vaccine changes your DNA

The COVID vaccine DOES NOT alter DNA. Instead, the mRNA within the vaccine teaches the body how to make a harmless “spike” protein similar to that found on the COVID virus. Once the mRNAdelivers instructions and the protein is made, it is destroyed. Your body then shifts focus to the spike protein made and begins to build an immune response to the protein as it recognizes it as an intruder. Think of it as an intruder drill in school. We don’t allow an intruder to actually go into the school for us to learn what to do in that circumstance. Instead, we re-create a scenario having us practice the proper way to hide and how to react when things such as the fire alarm goes off. We prepare ourselves for the real thing without actually having to go through it. This is how the mRNA vaccine works. Instead of having to be given a weakened version of the COVID-19 virus, we are given instructions on how to find it before coming into contact with it.

5 Tips to Make Reentry into Society a Little Easier

1. Physical Touch

After a whole year inside, it may be weird for some people to hug again, but not as weird for others. Before you shake hands or give someone a hug, make sure you’ve washed your hands or used sanitizer before making contact. It will feel weird at first because we’ve gotten into the habit of staying away from others, but soon the habit will return.

2. Don’t Rush Into Things

Since we’ve been locked away so long, our automatic instinct is to get back out there. But often when we do that, we exhaust ourselves mentally and physically. Make sure you ease yourself back into your extracurriculars, your friends, and other in person activities so you don’t tire yourself out.

3. Focus on What You Can Control

As people, we often look towards the big goal and ignore the small victories. If you ignore the small victories, you often stress yourself out, which isn’t very effective. Most people often felt out of control during this pandemic because everything has been taken away by being forced to stay at home.The little things are important, because they help use reach big life goals.

4. Be yourself

Since we’ve been quarantined physically, we’ve been quarantining our personalities and our emotions also. Make sure you show people who you are so that you can open up to the world again.

5. Smile

A smile goes a long way, so use it. That’s it, that’s the final tip!