Social Media and Attachment Post Covid-19

Cheyanne Richardson, Verrazzano Class of 2024, completed major in Psychology and minor in East Asian Studies

Deciding on a topic for my capstone was the most difficult part of the process, as I am interested in so many things, such as East Asian cultures. I was originally trying to find something that related to Psychology and Korean culture. When that topic didn’t go anywhere, I thought about how we are living post Covid-19 and how that has affected how we speak and interact with people.

From personal experience, I know that it was hard for me to socialize normally since we were using Zoom and social media to stay connected. I thought about how I dived deep into social media and how it was getting harder for me to stay off of it and to be present and in the moment when there were people around. That was when my topic was born. I thought about how people had to have been experiencing the same thing as me and I wanted to know if it affected people differently based on their countries.

It was difficult to find Covid-19 related research in the beginning of 2023. I was abroad in South Korea during that time, and I found it difficult to read through countless articles when they did not give me a direct path on which to continue. Therefore, I mainly focused on the positives and negatives of how social media has had an effect on how people form attachments to others before Covid-19.

I knew it was just a waiting game for the pandemic related research to come out since it was still being investigated. I continued to check into the library and see if anything new would pop up, but nothing. I was getting discouraged and thought about switching my topic altogether. When the fall semester began, I decided to give it one last try, and I hit the jackpot. I remember being so excited that I stayed up the entire night because I was completely fascinated on what people found. I asked my professor at the time to become my mentor because she gave me so much support and encouragement even though I felt completely lost. This was my first time doing a capstone and I felt like I was failing and not doing enough. Dr. Alisha Johnson was always there for me to help me get my feelings out about this stressful process, and she taught me to believe more in myself as well as be proud of my work.

Looking back on my entire capstone experience, I can smile brightly because I did it. I considered not doing the capstone and graduating without the honor’s program, but I thought that was such as waste and a disservice to me, since I already survived four years of being in honor’s classers and doing community service and VELAs. Don’t get me wrong, the capstone itself can be a pain and stressful. There will be tears and worries and outright mental breakdowns. What I can say is, be kind to yourself and that you will get through this. I wish I had been kind on myself, but I had people to give me that support. For example, I had my best friend read my paper. I was close to vomiting because I was so worried about what she would think. She called me and said that it was an amazing topic. She is a literature major so she helped me fix my paper a bit. Overall, she said it was easy for her to understand since she has no background knowledge on the topic, and that I did a beautiful job on getting my point across. I remember feeling really proud and that was an accomplishment for me since other papers that she helped me with didn’t make sense. For her to completely keep all of my original ideas shows my sense of growth as a writer and a student.

The Effects of COVID-19 on K-12 Education

Nicholas Marino, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Psychology

While thinking about what to research for my Capstone Project, I knew I wanted to make it about something that was current and relevant. I wanted it to be something that I experienced, connected with, and related to. After I set those standards for myself, the research topic became abundantly clear. Myself, my graduating class, my friends, and family all experienced the pandemic, and all had to adapt to the unfortunate circumstances. However, at that time I was in my second year of college and wasn’t quite aware of the effects that COVID-19 had on students in grades K-12. The change from in-person learning to remote learning changed how education had to be given to students. Taking everything into account; my interest in this topic, and my personal connection to it, it was an awesome experience being able to depict the specific effects of the pandemic on education.

To perfectly capture the long-term effects on education, I had to categorize and separate each role individually. For example, in my research I had sections dividing students, teachers, and faculty. Each role had their own breakdown of the negative effects that COVID-19 had on them, ranging from performance to mental health. Essentially, I learned that the pandemic had only negative long-term effects on these groups. Students experienced an alarming decrease in grades, paired with an increase in mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Teachers experienced a change in their motivation and dedication towards their job, with an increase in mental health issues.

My capstone project allowed to me understand the importance of the education system and what the implications would be if the normal routine is changed. Switching from in-person learning to remote learning has an long lasting impact on society. Students will be expected to carry on to the next grade without being prepared, creating a domino effect that will roll over in their future education. However, with proper attention and providing essential services to students, it is possible to give every student a chance to get back on track with their curriculum. Without a doubt, further research will be needed in the following years to evaluate how students who withstood the pandemic are tackling their future education or careers.

The Global and Media Effects of Covid-19

Cassandra Ayoub, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Biology and minor in Business

I wanted my capstone topic to be something that everyone could relate to and have a basic understanding of. As a biology major and with my desire to go into the healthcare field, I chose to write about Covid-19, as this virus has been constantly adapting and changing the world around us. I have family members that worked during the pandemic as a paramedic, a nurse, and a doctor; and all three of them had many first-hand experiences of working in the healthcare field during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I decided to tie in modern day social media because the internet and social media usage plays a huge role in everyone’s life. In our modern age, we have access to so many facts, articles, posts and videos right at our fingertips. During the pandemic specifically, I have seen so many posts or memes related to the pandemic shared on social media. People have also used social media platforms to share and voice their personal opinions, especially their personal points of view on subjects of social distancing, mask wearing, the Covid-19 virus, and their views on having to take the vaccine.

While social media may be a great way to share things globally, there should also be an emphasis that when sharing information regarding the pandemic, they should be factual and research-based blogs or articles posts.

I only had a limited amount of time to do my research project, and I did my best to find scholarly articles and info graphs that related to the topics I discussed in my capstone. If I had the chance to pursue my research, I would want to find more information on the Covid-19 variants and research how the variants were formed. Additionally, I would want to speak with and interview some of the researchers that had first taken notice to the virus, and to ask them their thoughts about when Covid had started as something small, then grew into the global pandemic. I would ask for their feedback on some of the information that has been shared over the internet and social media about the virus and the vaccine, and how this virus affected their personal lives.

This was my first time working on such a large research project, and I was able to present my capstone during the Undergraduate Research Conference.

Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health

Kyle Hapuarachchi, Verrazzano Class of 2023, completed major in Biology Health Science Science 

When thinking about my capstone, I knew I wanted to work with Psychology and how the mental health in the U.S. differs to the mental health of third world countries. With some adaptation and the help of my mentor Professor Sukhram, we came up with the idea of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of both college students and frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs).

My purpose in doing this research was to ensure that the mental health issues that arose during the pandemic would be mitigated in the case of another mental health crisis.

In order to do this narrative review in a structured way, I looked at four different studies. Two of the studies dealt with CUNY students that had mental health issues, while the other two studies were about frontline healthcare workers and their struggles with mental health during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

I think recognizing the areas that make for poor mental health is important to understand. As a CUNY student and someone who wants to work in the healthcare field, it is important to understand the potential mental health crises I may be working in.

With the help of Professor Sukhram and the Writing Center, I was able to write an insightful narrative review that explained the importance of looking at mental health issues due to COVID-19. My mentor assisted me with similar peer-reviewed articles to read since I had been unsure on what to do and how to format my paper. This allowed me to get used to another version of writing reports; it was a completely new ballgame. Understanding the difference between facts and opinion was something that I had to get accustomed to. 

Overall, working on this project showed me that although things are tough in the beginning there is a light at the end of the tunnel in which you will find success. 

 

Impact of Covid-19 Shelter In Place on Infant Sleep

Daniel Palmieri, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Psychology and minor in ASL

If somebody were to tell me in high school about my research during the COVID-19, I would have a hard time believing them. When I joined Verrazzano Honors in 2018, I was both thrilled and nervous. In the fall of 2019, I narrowed down what professor I wanted to psychological research with, and I did an independent study with the CSI Child Development lab (CDL).
In February 2020, I heard that the CSI CDL was going to host a summer research internship and I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to start working on my capstone, and to improve my skillset. I made it a top priority of landing the internship. At the same time, the first wave of COVID-19 began. Despite the virus being declared a global pandemic and remote learning going into effect, I accepted an offer as an intern for the CSI CDL virtual summer internship.
During my internship, my goals were to gather advice for graduate school, and gain research skills. Additionally, I wanted my internship to help me with my independent study, increase my networking and presenting skills, and to have my work published.
I was assigned to be a research assistant on projects with two different graduate students. On one project I was able to learn how a research survey was made and how researchers can use it. The graduate student taught me a lot about how research was conducted, how to expand my horizons, networking and technical skills, and she was very straightforward and clear from the start. For my project I was able to push myself to new limits, learn how to video, pay more attention to detail, and how to work through difficult situations.
Going into my independent study remotely, I worked on how sheltering-in-place during the pandemic affected infant sleep patterns, and elaborated on my goals. I assumed there would be more responses for the survey, but this did not happen and I was discouraged that we got little responses.
I decided to write an honors thesis for departmental honors, have my research project get accepted into the 2021 Virtual NCUR undergraduate Research Conference, work on my areas of improvement, and learn more about developmental research.
Spring 2021 was arguably my hardest semester and the honors thesis was perhaps the most challenging assignment I have ever worked on. I spent hours in my room studying, writing my honors thesis, and managing my other obligations. While writing the intro, I wanted to make it an easy read and set up the tone for the whole paper. I encountered massive writing blocks and self-discussions about what should and should not be in the paper.
I attended various virtual tutoring sessions to help outline my ideas, work on the grammar/structure, and address my readers and mentor(s) comments. It helped ease my tensions and I got a better perception on how to paint the picture properly.
When April 2021 arrived, my challenges were all completed but one. I needed to make sure that my claims matched up with my methods and findings to avoid any red flags, wrap everything up, and find sources that backed my claims. I asked people in the CDL for assistance, and after numerous trials and errors, I was able to complete my honors thesis. I was motivated to try to get my work published in a psychological research journal.

The vast amount of time I worked to finish my honors thesis was worth all the pain and agony. As a result, I was able to achieve most of my goals, reach new heights, and acquire skills that I thought weren’t even possible. I realized my strong work ethic, commitment, and the state of mind that I want in life. Furthermore, I have used the experience to help get through times in the past year and for the future.

 

Conducting Research Online During Covid-19

Mohamed Beyruti, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed majors in Accounting and Business Management, and minor in Business Finance

 

During my semester taking ACC 414, I experienced the comeback of the traditional world from the virtual world and it was insane to see how many students wanted to come back from isolation. I learned that different parts of my research (especially the video) need to be prepared and thorough for all students to understand the interview process for my research. Creating a step-by-step process made the process smoother, and when writing the results of the paper I learned what went right, what went wrong, and A LOT has changed.

Originally the research for my capstone was going to completely different. I wanted to work on how COVID-19 impacted people’s work-life balance, but then my professor took it a step further, and the goal was to understand how people/students were impacted by the virtual world with COVID-19.

Developing my research paper helped me strengthen my writing skills, taught me different methods of writing for a specific topic, and increased my research skills. The research on this paper was insane; the number of articles about COVID-19, work-life balance, working from home, there was just so much to talk about.

In the beginning I was adding to much information and not drawing the reader into my research, so that’s where my professor came in. Luckily, he slowed me down and helped me with bits and pieces of research to add for my essay. This helped me understand not to hone in on every single detail, and I learned that they were many different methods about making my research paper both intriguing and convincing to my audience. The main idea of my topic is something that is familiar, considering that almost everyone stayed home during COVID.

I did not want my paper to seem informative to the point where it would not keep the audience’s attention (hence the graphs), and although I didn’t use a lot of vocabulary, I attempted to keep my ideas relatable and easy to follow. When writing my research paper, I used both similarities and differences from the main topic, so my audience would understand the difference between the virtual and traditional workplace. The tone of my essay is also very generalized, so the audience reading it will be able to form their own opinion from my paper.

There were many stages writing this paper, from the professor being a guide, the staff keeping me on the right track, to making sure I followed the steps needed to complete the paper, and I learned so much from each stage. I’ve got to say that everyone pulled through till the end to help make this thesis my masterpiece.

Researching Effects of COVID-19 on Male Fertility

 Jessica Marchetti, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Psychology and minor in Biology

During my junior year, I did not anticipate that I would graduate a semester early. The COVID-19 pandemic affected students at CSI in multiple ways. I was extremely bored being at home during this time and I took it as an opportunity to take more summer and winter classes, as well as packing my fall and spring schedules. This enabled me to complete my undergraduate degree a semester early, but it also meant I would have to prepare for my capstone, which I had no clue where to even begin.

The capstone project seemed like an intimidating task to tackle, and I felt at a slight disadvantage since I was not prepared to focus or plan for it so early. When I began my internship at Weill Cornell Hospital, I discovered what I wanted my project to focus on. I shadowed Dr. Gianpiero Palermo in the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Center, and developed a passion for the lab work and research that correlated to factors that impacted male fertility, and the solutions available to provide infertile couples with the opportunity to reproduce. Dr. Palermo also the invented the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), which is a common fertility treatment used across the world.

We began a research project that provided a possible explanation to the question of COVID-19 impacting male sperm cells regarding their motility and shape, since there is still so much unknown about this aggressive and contagious virus. We were able to gather participants who were already patients in the center to participate, and investigated the semen parameters to see if there were major effects that the virus had on sperm cells. Ultimately, we discovered that the virus had no long-term effects on sperm cells.

Some limitations of our study included the sample population, since it was small and only from Weill Cornell. In the future, we could expand our parameters and have participants in other areas with a wider age range.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to shadow and work among such brilliant doctors and students, and appreciate the chance to share my findings with my fellow Verrazzano students.