Dr. Ever Figueroa talks about how the pandemic has affected his experience as a new faculty member at KU. Figueroa joined the J-School’s faculty in the fall 2020 semester after receiving his Ph.D. in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. His main concern in regard to the pandemic is how it affects his Hispanic community back home in Texas. He said his parents’ jobs do not allow them the privilege of staying home and isolating, so the privilege of working from home is not something he takes for granted. Because his class was intended to be hands-on, which is difficult to do virtually, his workload has increased tremendously. 

Figueroa also said teaching entirely online has made it difficult to get to know campus, explore Lawrence, and establish relationships with students and other faculty. Not being able to meet with students face-to-face has been a challenge for Figueroa. Nonetheless, he said he is proud of his students’ work this semester and remains optimistic that KU will come out of the pandemic stronger than before.