1. The end of ‘normal’: Temple students share last photos before COVID-19
By: Emma Padner
After Philadelphia declared its first case of COVID-19 on March 10, 2020, Temple University announced all domestic campuses would end in-person instruction on March 13, 2020. The campus then closed fully until Fall 2020 and switched to hybrid learning for Fall 2021.
A year into the pandemic, nine students shared how they spent their last day before schools and businesses closed and social distancing guidelines were implemented to limit the spread of the COVID-19.
Some recalled throwing parties and spending time with friends as their “last hoorah,” while others reflected on how steadfast they were for a return to school in two short weeks.
2. Temple alumnae form harm reduction project
By: Rosie Leonard
Drug overdoses rose by 30 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 1,000 people in Philadelphia alone died from opioid use in 2020, WHYY reported.
After seeing how the pandemic had impacted homelessness and overdose rates,
Shannon Ashe and Jen Shinefeld, Temple alumnae, started The Everywhere Project, a non-profit that aims to raise awareness of overdose prevention and harm reduction practices to Philadelphia communities impacted by substance use.
3. Temple alumna runs for House of Representatives seat
By: Ryan Tian
Alexandra Hunt, a 2019 public health alumna, launched her campaign for the 2022 United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district in February 2020.
She plans to use her platform to advocate and provide more opportunities for marginalized people. If she wins, she will become the first openly former sex worker to hold a federal public office in the U.S.
4. Candlelight vigil held for Samuel Collington in Delaware County
By: Eden MacDougall
Samuel Collington, a senior political science major, was fatally shot at Park Avenue near Susquehanna on Nov. 28. Family, friends, teachers and politicians gathered and spoke to honor Collington’s life and the memories made with him at a candlelight vigil held in his hometown at Interboro High School in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania.
5. Mother, daughter bond while running business
By: Sam Sullivan
Virginia Apostolopoulos and her daughter Penelope Kyriazis have been churning out sweet and savory crepes for hungry customers inside their food truck, The Crepe Truck Philly, since 2013.
Due to their extended family lives in different countries, the two cherish their time spent stuck inside the tight quarters of their truck for hours on end and aim to form and strengthen relationships with both each other and their customers.
6. Couple falls in love working at The Temple News
By: Matt Aquino
While working at The Temple News in 2004, Ben and Natalie Watanabe’s friendship quickly blossomed into love. The two share their relationship’s journey from the confines of the newsroom, to marriage and raising a family together.
7. Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania leads a healing ceremony for Ambler campus
By: Haajrah Gilani
Temple’s Ambler campus was hit by a tornado on Sept. 1, rendering serious damages to campus facilities and nature reserves, including more than 175 of the campus’ trees, while also stranding 27 students and faculty overnight on campus property.
In honor of the lost trees, the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania led a healing ceremony at the Learning Center quad followed by a group tree planting, allowing the community to process the loss of their trees while encouraging them to remain hopeful for the campus’ future.
8. Body Checkers Productions’ short film qualifies for an Oscar
By: Sam Sullivan
Four Temple alumnae created an all-female production company in 2016. They create horror films including diverse casts and content. After years of showcasing their work at film festivals, one of their latest pieces, La Ciguapa Siempre, qualified for a 2023 Oscar after winning Best Narrative Short at The Reel Sisters of The Diaspora Film Festival, in October.
9. Safe Bet use online services to distribute gun locks
By: Kristine Chin
About 31 percent of deaths caused by unintentional shooting could have been prevented with gun locks, according to Aftermath, a crime scene cleanup and biohazard remediation company.
As gun purchases increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott Charles, a trauma outreach coordinator at Temple Hospital, shifted the accessibility of his company, Safe Bet —which provides free gun locks to residents — to online distribution. He founded the organization to prevent unintentional shootings among children.
10. LGBTQ student organizations hold candlelight vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance
By: Eden MacDougall
Forty-seven transgender and gender non-conforming people have been fatally shot or killed by other violent means so far in 2021, making last year the deadlieston record for the transgender community, according to Human Rights Campaign.
In November, students and local residents gathered around the Bell Tower on Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor the transgender and gender non-conforming people killed by violent means in 2021.
Be the first to comment