Observer Department: Features

Pandemic impacting mental and physical health

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It is no surprise that many people find the COVID-19 pandemic stressful both physically and mentally. The actions that we take to protect ourselves and others from the COVID virus, such as social distancing and stay-at-home orders can make you feel isolated, anxious, and scared. Ian Shea, a student at…

Social-distancing and lockdown affecting students’ sleep habits

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Online students get more screen time and have a more flexible schedule, but this may be affecting the sleeping habits of students. An Italian study published May 15 in the  Journal of Sleep Research found that,  "...during home confinement, sleep timing markedly changed, with people going to bed and waking…

A Halloween like no other

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Now ten months in, it is no secret that the year 2020 has been anything but traditional for the entire country in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. With Massachusetts deemed an initial hotspot for the virus, towns within the state have come well acquainted with the prohibition of large…

How students plan to spend Halloween during COVID-19

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As Halloween begins this upcoming holiday season, many celebratory plans have been negatively affected (or even canceled) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dressing-up in costumes for communal “Trick-or-Treating” and attending chilling “Haunted Houses” are only a couple among the countless cancelled festivities of this beloved Holiday, causing a sense of…

Staving off cabin fever in the time of COVID

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In a world on pause, what is one to do? Americans are resorting to an assortment of various activities to stave off cabin fever during the outbreak of COVID-19. Have people been able to stay productive, healthy, and happy during the quarantine? Can people have benefited from the pandemic, whether…

College in the era of COVID: Students navigate remote learning

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Since March 2020, NECC students have found themselves enrolled in a crash course in remote learning.  For many students this would be their first experience taking classes exclusively online.  Erika Rivera, 19, a journalism and communications major from Lawrence, had never taken an online class before the coronavirus outbreak as she prefers to learn in person. “Being at home makes it…

Lessons learned from quarantine

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The coronavirus has had its grip on the entire world for the better part of 2020. As human beings it is in our nature to learn, grow, and thrive in the face of adversity. While we continue to fight through this pandemic, many people are noticing things about themselves that…

Digital solace: Local IT support specialist assists with tech literacy

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Angel Garcia, 34, of Lawrence is using his Associate of Science degree from Middlesex Community College with a focus in computer software and networking to help those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the pandemic I've been helping friends and family stay or get connected online. Whether it's getting…

The nurse becomes the patient: A personal encounter with COVID-19

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Angela Pagliuca, 33, of Revere is a registered nurse. She works on a gynecology oncology and surgical unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She also works per diem at Eastpointe in Chelsea. “I do a lot! " she said with a laugh.  On March 19, Pagliuca received a phone…

The new normal: An essential worker’s efforts to stay safe and sane

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Courtesy photo             Cindy Mejia, 32, is a Lawrence resident, former NECC student, fitness coach and essential employee during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a buyer for Asahi America. “They are a plastic valves and pipe company, considered essential because we provide materials to hospitals,” she…