Community COVID Time Capsule Panel Discussion

Eckerd College is hosting a panel discussion to explore the most recent stage of the “COVID Community Time Capsule Project.” The Time Capsule, which is being exhibited at the Eckerd College Library, is meant to help the community of Eckerd College along with local communities in St. Petersburg process and reflect upon the experiences of the pandemic, and to help future generations remember and learn from these collective experiences. Organized by Dr. Michael Goyette (Eckerd College) and co-moderated with Dr. Janet Kay (Princeton University), the discussion features five local community members who have contributed to the recent collection of oral histories and artifacts for the time capsule. Along with the moderators, these panelists will provide attendees with a deeper awareness of how the COVID pandemic has impacted diverse communities within the city of St. Petersburg. The program will facilitate meaningful dialogue about the effects of the pandemic on human lives, while also examining those effects in relation to human experiences during other historical and literary pandemics. Following the panel discussion, attendees will have opportunities to ask questions and (virtually) interact with the panelists. Panelists: Teresa Bergstrom, Ph.D., 8th Grade Pre-AP World History & Geography teacher at Center for Gifted Studies, Dunedin Highland Middle School Carl Lavender, Chief Equity Officer from Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg Taylor Horan, Project Manager, Fintech Technology Services Mimi Reilly, Owner and Stylist at Star Booty Salon Andy Southgate, Regional Director of Lifelong Learning and Resident Lifestyle Facilitator and Westminster Shores Senior Home Care This program is funded in part through a Florida Humanities Greater Good: Humanities in Academia grant in partnership with Eckerd College.