JCCC’s marketing photographer, Susan McSpadden, has made it her mission to document these unprecedented times for our campus community. Each week, she provides a look into how a different area of campus is responding to the pandemic.
Food Insecurity: JCCC’s Role in the Supply Chain – Open Petal Farm Serves the Community
The JCCC Open Petal Farm is considered an essential operation during the campus closure, with efforts now directed toward growing sustainable produce for local donations. Recipients include area restaurants serving as community kitchens and other local food distribution organizations.
Johnson County Regional Police Academy – 129th Class
The 129th class of the Johnson County Regional Police Academy, located on the campus of JCCC, recently completed their training and celebrated with closing ceremonies. The academy was deemed essential, but their program was shortened by three weeks since trained officers have become crucial to maintaining public safety during this time.
Together at Home
After transitioning to online classes, professors, students and staff learned to navigate virtual meetings and other online resources to help finish out spring semester. Adjusting to a new normal presented challenges ranging from caring for children at home while also working or studying, to sharing space with family members all day, every day.
Terri Easley-Giraldo – Professor of Communication Studies
“The biggest challenge of being fully online for me has been balancing online teaching with my 1-year-old and my 3-year-old. While the transition of moving online itself was not a huge hurdle for me as someone who has taught online for 12+ years (although time consuming for sure), it’s juggling two very demanding tasks: being a mom and being a professor to students that didn’t sign up for online courses. We are slowly getting into a groove and finding our new normal.”
Taylor Nguyen – JCCC student and Student Life Ambassador
Taylor shares a house with her mom and four siblings. “They are all very huggy and affectionate, but I am not. I need my space.” When the weather is nice and she doesn’t want to bounce between her room, the kitchen table, or the living room, she finds refuge in the back of her mom’s SUV.
Emily Allphin – JCCC Graphic Design student and intern
“The initial online learning for me went better than I had anticipated. My kids also started their online learning, so it was a little tricky figuring out how to manage all of it. It was nice to see that my professors were just as distracted as I have been with the recent changes in our country and around the world.”
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Check out JCCC’s Exposure account to view additional photos and further insight into each story. Be sure to subscribe to receive a notification when future stories are posted!
