By Brianna Blanchard
Storytelling for Social Change Intern, Summer 2024

I was a sophomore in high school when the 2020 lockdown happened. Now that I am almost done with my junior year at the University of Washington, I’ve had lots of time to reflect on what the last five years have taught me about isolation, connection, and the importance of community. 

I know my story is one of many: according to Census data, there were 73.1 million children under the age of 18 in the US in 2020. So many of us were hit hard both academically and emotionally by the fact that our once lively classrooms and community spaces were replaced by the quiet, distant world of virtual learning. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about being a teenager during that time was that our isolation felt universal, but the toll that loneliness took on our own cognitive development was something that we all experienced differently. 

Not only was it an abrupt pause to what we had grown accustomed to, but it also felt as though many of us were being quietly reshaped. Much of the social, academic, and emotional development that usually takes place in high school and college did not just stall, but instead was entirely disrupted. Since then, we have had to learn how to grow up and reconnect from a starting point of disconnection. 

While our world has opened back up over the past five years, it feels like many of us are still reeling from what has now been coined as the “loneliness epidemic.” Psychologists from Harvard found that approximately 43% of young adults reported increases in loneliness since the outbreak of the pandemic, which has led to increases in depression and anxiety as well. 

On top of that, the last five years have been marked by a wave of other challenges. With rapid global warming, devastating biodiversity loss, extreme economic uncertainty, and a rise in human health challenges, all compounded by political turmoil, many of us have found being very hopeful to be difficult. At certain times, it almost felt as though the very systems meant to support us, such as education, government, and even healthcare, were unraveling themselves. These interconnected challenges made everything feel significantly heavier, leaving many of us wondering: how do we navigate this overwhelming sense of isolation? 

Finding New Ways to Connect

The loss of in-person experiences and the search for new ways to engage with others were absolutely pivotal in shaping my academic and professional path. Initially focused on environmental engineering when I began university, I realized I had true passion within the world of environmental public health, where I would be able to focus more on people and community-driven work during my time as an undergraduate student. 

My search for connection ultimately led me to pursue an internship role at UW EarthLab. I had been particularly drawn to the program’s cohort model, emphasis on storytelling, and well-rounded focus on environmental justice, realizing it perfectly aligned with my love for creativity, communications, and science. Not only was I able to explore my academic interests with this experience, but I was also offered the abundance of meaningful human connections I had been seeking all along. 

What Even Is a Cohort Model?

At the beginning of my summer internship experience with EarthLab, one of the main things I was looking forward to was the program’s cohort model. According to EarthLab’s website, the cohort model was described as a requirement to the program across the full nine weeks where students could gather, network, and grow together through our parallel experiences.  I was drawn to the idea of having a space to connect with my peers and discuss our educational experiences in ways that traditional classrooms often do not allow. 

Last summer, I came together with 16 other interns across 13 different internship sites every week for a half-day session. Each meeting focused on different topics related to environmental justice. We had the privilege of learning from twelve guest speakers, all sharing insights into professional development, community climate research, eco-anxiety, science communication work, and non-linear career pathways. We shared meals, laughed together, exchanged coffee and study spots, and ultimately supported each other. 

These sessions were more than just meetings; they were opportunities to rebuild a sense of community during a time when it has felt particularly difficult to find meaningful social connections. “Navigating my internship alongside folks who are in the same boat has fostered mutual support, inspiration, and friendships,” intern Caroline Hale shared. “I learned so much working alongside my peers with different areas of knowledge and interests than I do, particularly through our small and large group discussions.” 

What the Cohort Model Has Meant to My Peers

With this consistent space for networking came the beautiful creation of a built-in support system, where each week we were given the chance to reflect and share our recent highs and lows. Because our internships spanned a variety of environmental and social justice-related work, having a regular space to provide emotional and professional support to one another was particularly meaningful. “The cohort model has been really amazing. I have made a lot of really good connections with other interns, and it has allowed me to get a lot more insight into other paths in environmental justice than I would have otherwise,” student Iris Miller-Sherman stated. “It has also been really nice to have other people who are doing the same type of thing as me, which makes me feel less alone and more supported.”

The cohort model also emphasized the importance of developing soft skills: beyond the technical knowledge we acquired, we learned about how to navigate interpersonal dynamics, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively– all of which are crucial for any future professionals. “It has been particularly useful in understanding the multitude of pathways that can lead to creative climate focused jobs and positions,” said EarthLab student Cora Schultz. “The cohort model makes me feel warm surrounded by a big group of people figuring out the same things as me.” 

Through constant interaction and teamwork, we found a safe space to articulate our ideas in a supportive environment. In the words of intern Hope Flanigan, “This is my first internship experience, so it has been incredibly valuable to go through this journey with a group of fellow interns and have the space to discuss our struggles and successes. Building relationships with peers who will be my future colleagues has been incredibly valuable.”  

What the Cohort Model Has Meant to Me

For me, the cohort model has meant getting to have a space where I can form a community again, particularly an academic and professional one, free of judgment and full of support. Not only was I provided with amazing academic mentorship from my supervisors, but I was also able to grow emotionally and interpersonally. 

Being able to consistently meet people with their own unique perspectives and experiences, to then share and interact by having meaningful conversations, allowed me to reconnect with others in a way I haven’t experienced in years. It has been a professional and academic space where we can still be vulnerable, share our struggles, and celebrate our brilliant successes together. 

In simpler terms, I was reminded that the antidote to isolation is connection. 

Throughout the process of rebuilding what was lost, both personally and collectively, I found that strength doesn’t always have to look like certainty. Sometimes, it can look like showing up, sharing openly, and creating a community for others to do the same. 

NextGen Narratives is an EarthLab blog series tailored for University of Washington students to express how they’re thinking about taking equitable climate action in a variety of ways. If you’re a student eager to join NextGen Narratives, don’t hesitate to contact Allie Long, EarthLab’s Communications Lead, at alongs@uw.edu.