alan jinich penn
As a young Black girl, there is like a certain culture. On the heels of his retirement as head basketball coach at Jefferson University, this retrospective of local basketball legend and Hall of Famer Herb Magee. I like the barrier, she says. That was really interesting because it wasnt something we brought up, but a number of people we interviewed said Wow, Im just so grateful. Maeve upstairs with a canvas photograph of planet Earth larger than her modest, sparsely decorated room. Jean-Christophe Cloutier, an associate professor of English and comparative literature, and Sam Apple, who teaches creative writing, were among others that Strickberger and Jinich turned to for advice. The women talk fast, talk over each other, laugh loudly, and go on long tangents that take us far away from the house. Applauding: Abbott Elementary, the hit ABC comedy created by West Philly native Quinta Brunson, is delivering real-life resources to her old elementary school. But during the pandemic, she had to be home, and home for her meant a really tight trailer. They took the spring 2021 semester off from their formal Penn education, loaded up Jinich's mom's burnt red, five-seater SUV with food and supplies, and headed out for a six-week, 7,300-mile, 23 . He's also interested in GIS Mapping and quantitative image analysis. If you see this in todays newsletter, that means were highlighting our exclusive journalism. They traveled the country seeking the stories of a diverse range of people, 18 to 25 years old, to create an archive of the pandemic experience. We'll want to know what this time was like, just as people in the 1930s were trying to understand the Great Depression by interviewing people, by photographing them, and creating a record of that experience that we still draw upon today.. I sit in his swivel chair and look up at him like my friends used to do for me. When Nasir raises his voice, the line stands on its tiptoes and turns to the front like a pack of meerkats. They looked at each other. March 22, 2022. When Penn student Alan Jinich finally decided he couldn't take one more day of sitting inside his rented house taking virtual classes, he came up with quite the solution. Pati is fond of her sons and has an endearing way of calling . We didnt want to be home, we didnt see as much value to what wed always loved about school, and there was stuff thats so much bigger going on in the world. The goodbye is coming soon for us, too soon. For Strickberger, the experience confirmed that he would like to write stories that drive change, but he also wants to be involved in taking action that leads to that change, such as creating affordable housing. RELATED: Philly man sets out on a daunting mission to meet 10,000 strangers. Our reporter Susan Snyder takes a look at their travels, the stories that arrived, and the Penn community that rallied to help them. We just kept the conversation going and I finally said, Were basically doing the interviews right now, and then they allowed us to record our conversation, Strickberger says. And of course theyre going on the roadthey seek actual encounters., Strickberger and Jinich had taken a creative writing course, Extreme Noticing, taught by Apple, who suggested they read Eli Saslows column Voices from the Pandemic in The Washington Post. AJ: When we were in Circleville, a small town in Utah, we were driving around different farms trying to meet people. 10 overall), Darnell Wright, offensive line, Chicago Bears. Return to Borders and Boundaries Project Personnel. For Lily Stein, C'22, Alan Jinich, C'22, and their classmates, it wasn't merely an academic experience, but a deeply personal one. Its now billed as the largest high school social justice publication in Washington D.C. Strickberger and Jinich who grew up on the same street in Chevy Chase, Md., and became good friends in high school and better friends at Penn had some early jitters. What it means. GDS alum Alan Jinich '17 has won the 2022 Nora Magid Mentorship Prize along with Penn classmate Beatrice Forman. So we would kind of switch. But somehow, someway, something links yall because yall from here. Stay updated on all our coverage. The fireplace is turned off tonight. Who knows how this will percolate in the long run for them: exhibitions, photographs, maybe works of non-fiction down the road? There is a theory in the field of developmental psychology, popularized by . AJ: It got me so excited to do more of this stuff. Allow us to introduce Ruthie Henri, South Jerseys queen of barbecue. As much as I believe in and love the written form, Alan has extraordinary photos that I can go through and think back to the experience and thats so nice, thats such an archive. The archive explores how the pandemic has . Next came a four-hour tour of the turkey farm, and Jay and his wife invited them for dinner. And now they gotta learn some shit. JBP: Speaking of empathy, how did you win people over to be vulnerable and trusting with you twowhat was that process like for you? AJ: When I was driving, I needed something to keep me awake! From midnight to 8am she pays bills, watches movies, writes goals, manifestations, to-dos, lists of people she would invite to her future wedding and people she would break money to if she ever won the lottery. And I think being rejected was inherent to the project and got us much more comfortable with it. You agree to receive our weekly e-news roundup, invitations to exclusive events, including our Citizen Speaks series, and occasional breaking news updates. At the end of each interview, they asked everyone to write in a notebook a response to the prompt, after the pandemic, I want to.. Pati Jinich, Alans mother, didnt need convincing. 7 Generation Pandemic; Alan Jinich and Max Strickberger, SAS; 6 p.m.; Arts Caf, Kelly . As you can see by the room, Im a diehard Montreal Canadiens fan. The pair set out on April 8, both fully vaccinated against COVID-19, driving Jinichs mothers SUV, with a plan to stay with friends and family in combination with Airbnbs and car camping. Hendrickson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English, is a veteran author and journalist. Alan Jinich is a junior from Maryland studying Neuroscience and minoring in English. JBP: What overarching insights have you each taken away from the experience, and how has this journey changed you? We saw that in Santa Fe in an interview with Sharon who, prior to the pandemic, spent her whole life trying to stay out of her house. I went to St. Thomas once. Arfaa, whose grandfather was once highly connected at Annenberg, used storytelling to create a portrait of the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. She spoke with us about being treated like a pariah, about how rumors were spreading about her family and herself in this small town, Strickberger says. Jinich and Strickbergerchildhood friends who grew up on the same block in Chevy Chase, MDsat down at their shared apartment in West Philly to talk about the experiences of young people during the pandemic, how rejection has made them stronger, and their go-to roadtrip snacks. Im working on an oral history project, talking to young people all over the country. Deveraux visited Penn Museum to study the complicated legacy of the photographic genius of Edward Curtis, the premier photographer and ethnologist of indigenous Americans in the early part of the 20th century. When COVID-19 hit, these Penn students got creative, Scott Petri is out at the Philadelphia Parking Authority. However, Miller said it didnt take long for her son and Jinich to change her mind. Like I cant get a cheesesteak around the corner. Robyn, Ronni, Deborah, Amy, and I all occupy a small square of my computer screen. So that was kind of the opposite of movement, it was really constrictive. We kept talking for 10, 20, 30 minutes, they showed us around their garage and stuff, and then eventually we told them What were doing now? So for her, the pandemic meant the opposite of movement, and it meant she had to be home, and home didnt feel safe. Only by doing interviews, getting better at interviews, getting rejected a bunch of times, could something more concrete come into focus. Then came another place, another challenge. Took semester off from school to interview young Americans about their lives during the pandemic. Jinich opened the trunk to finish packing and some food came pouring out. 68 overall), Hendon Hooker, quarterback, Detroit Lions. You look outside and youre nearly on Locust! Throwing your hands in the air, losing yourself in a moment, the music. It was fall 2020, the era of pre-COVID-19 vaccines, and Jinich's roommate Max Strickberger, an English major who also reveled in his classes, was similarly disillusioned. I couldnt be a bottle service girl or server because there are no boundaries. Experience in writing long-form nonfiction gives the student-writer, who might one day try to make a vocation of this work, a sense of how hard it is to do something long and sustained, says Hendrickson. Its one thing to be friends or roommates, but then to be work partners is different. We wanted the peoples stories to speak for themselves.. For the student to come to terms with this in a long-form project pays dividends they dont even realize at the time.. After that, everything was more spontaneous and challenging. Most of my junior year was spent wandering from bedroom to bedroom, each its own ecosystem. Five security guards declined to speak with me before I approached Amber at the wrap-around desk in Harrison, a high-rise dorm built in 1970. At the same time, Ill recognize that we could only access certain stories. They did most together but would frequently split up and do some alone. Winner: Alan Jinich, "'You never get that smell off your clothes.'" Second Place: Pamela De La Cruz, "Sheltering Hope at a Violent Border for Migrants" Third Place: Sophia DeGrands, "Higher Thinking" He has also been working for the Borders and Boundaries Project where he brings his interest in quantitative image analysis and skills as a multimedia journalist to assess border crossing images from Google Earth. In this agreement, you accept communications from partners which may include newsletters, exclusive event invites, discount codes and emails containing other Super Citizen Member perks. created by College seniors Alan Jinich and Max Strickberger. This is the interview, all Id need to do is turn on my recorder and its the same thing, and theyre like Oh, I didnt realize it would be so casual, lets do it. In high school, he started a magazine, InLight, to allow those in marginalized communities to tell their stories. They traveled the country seeking the stories of a diverse range of people, 18 to 25 years old, to create an . What happened. Alan is a multimedia journalist based in Philadelphia. Generation Pandemic, an online oral history archive by senior English major Max Strickberger and senior English minor Alan Jinich, featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Washington Post. And later they invited us to the high school prom, because everyone in the town goes to the prommoms, dads, aunts, uncles, everybody, Jinich says. By the end of the day, we had gotten rejected from every single business in Chinatown. MS: Ive always loved stories. MS: I think it also helped to just point out that it was a weird situation. Wow, this project could be over before this project begins, Strickberger thought. We will never give or sell your information to a thirdparty. Speaking of which, the timing couldnt be better for this Penn study suggesting that just one drink per day is enough to cause brain shrinkage. Their first stop was Chattanooga, Tenn., where they conducted three interviews they had arranged in advance through a friend. And Julius, who moved from Wisconsin to a town in Santa Fe. We read it and realized that is exactly what we wanted to emulate, Strickberger says. The Creative Writing Program is pleased to announce this year's winners. And Im a big history guy. Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. It was a new world to us, this world of oral history and journalism. Eight girls, planning to live there until graduation. I return to Harrison a few weeks later. Alan Jinich is a junior from Maryland studying Neuroscience and minoring in English. Ben Simmons return to the Wells Fargo Center overshadowed the anniversary of when Sixer Allen Iverson did this and put his game on the NBA map. Kathy Peiss is the Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History in the School of Arts & Sciences. Caption: Pati Jinich three sons Julian, Sami, and Alan. I felt so frustrated that I wasnt doing something that was engaging more seriously with what was happening around us. We worked with a history professor from Penn, Kathy Peiss; just out of the kindness of her heart, shes very generous and met with us outside of school. And Sharon, 22, a Santa Fe, N.M., restaurant worker trying to balance her college studies with helping her family, including her drug-addicted brother and his girlfriend, who had a baby, also born drug addicted. It makes them morally and ethically accountable to their subjectsthat is, they are not just swinging by for one or two interviews, but they are building up a relationship built on trust: their trust of the subject, the subjects trust of them. I was completely undecided about my major, but knew I wanted to do research. Her brother was addicted to heroin and her mother, who did not speak English, was trying to navigate the court system for custody of the baby. I cant just pull up on my cousins.. Cloutier says even though the project focused on a particular generation, stories like Sharons make the archive a much wider and richer portrait of the American scene right now, glimpsing the experiences of other generations, he says. Department of EnglishUniversity of PennsylvaniaFisher-Bennett Hall, room 1273340 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA, 19104-6273Phone: (215) 898-7341Fax: (215) 573-2063, 2023 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Generation Pandemic, an online oral history archive by senior English major Max Strickberger and senior English minor Alan Jinich, featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Washington Post. The prom was one of dozens of unexpected experiences shared by Penn seniors Max Strickberger and Alan Jinichbest friends and Penn roommates who grew up on the same street in Chevy Chase, Marylandduring their journalistic endeavor. Theres many commonalities, but mostly differences. Penn After Midnight By Alan Jinich, C'22. But we carried in our many suitcases, second-hand furniture, and cardboard boxes with an appreciation greater than the run-down house probably warranted. We were looking for different kinds of places, big cities, tiny towns, places with racial, ethnic, political, religious diversity, Jinich says. Towards the end we were able to say Weve spoken with 70 people and weve traveled to 20 states and wed love to include you. It felt like it had more weight to it, and felt like an accomplishment. That journey has become a wild and unconventional ride: I started in neuroscience then added political science, but ultimately ended up doing independent . Send your thoughts our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. Alan Jinich couldnt do it anymore: Sit at a desk in his rented residence, taking his University of Pennsylvania classes online. A plastic barrier put up for COVID shields us from each other. Theres even a TV. I wanted to do something. All members agree to receive our weekly newsletter, members-only communications, invitations to exclusive events and occasional breaking news updates. He takes his job seriouslysafeguarding The Scroll and carrying it with him through medical school, through various moves, through travels. Im sure if I was approached by two strangers in the middle of the workday, Id think it was pretty weird as well. GDS teachers focus on providing an individualized education for each child, from elementary grades through high school. Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com). When Penn student Alan Jinich finally decided he couldnt take one more day of sitting inside his rented house taking virtual classes, he came up with quite the solution. Generation Pandemic is an oral history archive that documents the impact of COVID-19 on young adults in America. The Asian American Studies Program will welcome three new core faculty members next year, expanding the range of topics and classes the program offers. We had a lot of rejections. . And, Scott Petri, the executive director of the PPA, has abruptly been removed from his role effective today amid a turbulent time for the citys parking authority. Then four hours later, Jinich said, we had a tour of their turkey farm, a tour of their mechanic shop.. There arent neat quotes that show me who these women were when they lived in my house as much as there are actions. Penn seniors Alan Jinich and Max Strickberger spent last semester road-tripping across the U.S. to capture young people's pandemic experiences. JBP: On road trips, one person invariably ends up dominating what everyone else listens towhat did you listen to on the road for all those hours? Alan Jinich '17 wins Nora Magid Mentorship Prize, Family and Educator Anti-Racist Resources, DC Congressional Art Competition in photography, Language Learning, Dramatic Play, and a Golden Monkey, Middle School Black History Month Assembly. A presentation by Alan Jinich and Max Strickberger 6:00 PM (ET) in the Arts Caf. Penn Students Travel Cross-Country to Collect Pandemic Stories. View the profiles of people named Alan Jinich. What we know, California residents do not sell my data request. Well give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. JBP: How has this experience affected your already-strong friendship? Early on they decided not to seek out interviews with people who were full-time college students like themselves, and instead looked for people who represented other experiences. Were going to hit the road again, Jinich said. I grew up listening to my grandpa making up fictional stories and telling them to me. Max Strickberger and Alan Jinich, seniors in Penn Arts & Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, drove 7,300 miles across 23 states for six weeks in the spring to interview people ages 18 to 25 . It was fall 2020, pre-COVID-19 vaccine times, and Jinichs roommate, Max Strickberger, an English major who also used to delight in his classes, was similarly disillusioned. b. . What becomes quickly apparent in his class is that there is no difference between writing well and living well.. It wouldnt be just a monument to us, it would be a city. During the spring of 2021, ALAN JINICH by MAX STRICKBERGER conducted over 80 interviews with 18-25 year olds, meeting people across 16 states and 7,300 miles. Id basically say Hi, my name is Max. We saw young people being in a place where they could get up and move entirely. Nasir says, straighten up, and they straighten up. Back at home at the University of Pennsylvania, seniors Alan Jinich (left) and Max Strickberger (right) pose on their front stoop last week. I started interviewing him about his job and it ended up being my favorite story of the entire trip. Fernandos was one of several interviews that Jinich conducted in Spanish, his first language. Then all of a sudden, I hear this guy on the street speak Spanish, Jinich says. If theres news at Penn, youll find it here. I didnt know how meaningful I would find it, he says. Thats what I have for you this week. The result is a staggering archive that captures this precarious moment in time. And that wasnt just like a class piece; it was very much an age-related commentary on whats going on now. No one would talk with them, but then a grocery store manager agreed to help and went up and down the aisles asking people their ages, introducing them. Miller said she and her husband, a cardiologist, were not supportive of the idea at first. Style has since lost a lot of its color and the parties have moved to clubs downtown. Go see a live concert feel the beat from the speakers in my chest and feel the energy of the crowd around me, wrote one. The prom was one of dozens of unexpected experiences shared by seniors Max Strickberger and Alan Jinichbest friends and Penn roommates who grew up on the same street in Chevy Chase, Marylandduring their journalistic endeavor. They worried both about their son missing a semester and his health and safety. Sam lying in bed surrounded by her collected and carefully-sourced antiquities. Before coming to Penn, where he received a Provosts teaching award in 2005, Hendrickson worked as a staff feature writer at The Washington Post from 1977 to 2001. Peiss says she chose readings to help them think about how to position themselves as interviewers, how to relate to new people and places, and how to deal with their own assumptions. All together. In pursuing the story of Jesus, a cattle rancher on the Texas-Mexico border, Jinichs interviews spanned several days. Eliot poem. Her job went remote, she realized I can take my entire life and move somewhere else. . Browse more than 80 pandemic vignettes from 18-25-year-olds across the country. There are times where I look good and I feel good. Get our newsletter, The Daily . And they really were engaged, not only with the people they met, but also with seeing parts of the country theyd never seen before, Peiss says. Im fortunate to be here. In the more immediate future, Jinich and Strickberger already have summer plans. We moved into the Monster in August 2020, height of the pandemic. But he still expressed so much gratitude for not being in the place that a lot of older folks were. Enlisting his friend and roommate, disillusioned Penn English major Max Strickberger, the two took off their spring semester, loaded up Jinich's mom's SUV with food and . Our little class would meet once every two weeks over the dinner hour. Its not crooked or straight, but sways with the pulse of music and breaks as bodies cut in. Although I feel like maybe I was in control? We will never give or sell your information to a third party outside of this partner program. So language was just one barrier that we faced from an inaccessibility standpoint. MS: For some reason, every time we turned on the car, the same song [the hypnotic Tubesocks] on Alans phone would play automatically. Today we highlight the adventures of two Penn students who took off on a multistate trek to chronicle COVID-19s human cost. The scrutiny that arrived from the PPAs request of an $11.3 million refund from the cash-strapped school district in 2020, citing an overpayment that launched a City Council probe into the agencys finances. It was a little bit of persistence, a little bit of luck. I just felt like I was wasting something that I previously loved so much, Strickberger said. By the end of the trip we were walking into 30 businesses getting rejected by all of them. The first big test was in Greensboro, Alabama, a town of about 2,500. Funeral services were held yesterday for TJ Siderio, the 12-year-old South Philly boy shot in the back by police. Like when we think about mental health stuff too; people got into really bad places with their mental health, or some people were just totally thriving and living their best life that they couldnt have if they were stuck in an office somewhere. I think what theyre doing is inspiring.. Strickberger's thesis is based on the project "Generation Pandemic," which he started alongside senior Alan Jinich in fall 2020. Students engaged closely with Hendrickson on topics until they landed on one that really resonated. Two students took what they've learned at Penn - and pressed onward out of the shell to see if their learned backgrounds can translate to real-world The pair arrived back in Philadelphia on May 17, the day of Penns Commencement, and reconnected with many of their friends. Some of their lives have remained intertwined despite the geographic distanceRobyn and Amy are Nashville natives and have been friends since they were threebut Deborah and Amy have lived in the same city for twenty years and have only just realized this on the video call. Local Coronavirus Numbers: Heres your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data. Reading the testimonies you immediately see the array, the range of people that theyve been able to meet, and how Max and Alan have allowed them to tell their own stories, which I really, really admire.. Jays parents then invited them to Sunday lunch. Margo Natalie Crawford is a professor of English and the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Professor for Faculty Excellence and the director of the Center for Africana Studies in the School of Arts & Sciences. Thats when they began to plot something they found much more meaningful a journey across America, from rural towns to cities, from the deep South to the Midwest, to interview a diverse group, mostly ages 18 to 25, on how the pandemic had impacted their lives. Once we sat down, the interview went on for hours. AJ: A lot of cheese sandwiches for Max. We just got into the area. They used an app, called Social Explorer, to chart a route with socioeconomic and ethnic diversity. JBP: Do you think there are misconceptions about this age group you chose to focus onyour age group? So trying to introduce some humor into the situation helped. And Im really grateful to have that archive. Along the way, they met Fernando, 21, who fell on hard times when his Chicago fruit stand was shut down, until he found another business: traveling to Mexico to buy puppies and re-selling them in the United States for a profit. Would I follow the quiet moments of students walking home from Smokes? News & Events. By the end of it, Tyler and Jay introduced us to their whole family.. She examined archival prints and held in-depth interviews with the curator. Seven of us posing in front of the Green Monster, our future house (circa 2019, a year before we moved in). Amber sits behind the front desk in Harrison. Like, if you were a young Black kid you grew up on that stuff. So theyre definitely extremes in both ways. Join Facebook to connect with Alan Jinich and others you may know. Their goal was to get a total of 50 interviews in six weeks, and they conducted 80, some as short as 15 minutes and others lasting for several hours, with the average being about an hour and a half.
