Sofia Bernardo, 13 I was scared and confused: school was cancelled because of a virus and it felt like all my hard work was going down the drain. In March 2020, I was in science class at school working with my small group on a climate change friendly building design for our school’s open house, which was scheduled to take place the following week. Just when our project was about ready to show at the open house, we had to suddenly go home and shelter in place. We never got to finish that project. It was a really hard day. I want vaccines for children to be tested and approved so we can get back to school and see friends and family. It’s been clear that the best memories don’t happen via zoom or apart, they happen when we are together. It makes us realize we take our schooling, friends and our family’s presence for granted. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of this pandemic. Although I like spending time by myself sometimes, I miss my friends. The presence of another human body near me. I miss sleepovers, playdates, parties, celebrating the birth of a new cousin and weddings. I hope for a day when we can all go back to school, and I can actually meet my teachers in person, walk to my classrooms and sit down and be able to work on a project with a partner and feel safe. I’m proud of those who’ve done their part in the Pandemic, including social distancing, wearing masks, staying home if they feel sick and being really flexible in a tough year. I am grateful for the essential workers and first responders. My cousin worked as an ICU nurse with Covid patients early in the pandemic. She and her friends are real heroes. In a way participating in the clinical trial is identical to a Random Act of Kindness. Because in a Random Acts of Kindness the small acts alone aren’t a big deal, but when you share them and inspire others to join you they can make a big impact on the world. This is similar to being a clinical trial participant, because in the trials they need over 3,000 kids. You can put a label on which age group data is more important, but at the end of the day, it’s each individual person in the study that is valuable, because they actually make a difference contributing to our world, whether they are 11 or 40. I want to do my part to help end the Pandemic by participating in a clinical trial for a covid vaccine – that’s my Random Act of Kindness. My Experience in the Clinic Ironically, in our science class we are learning about the science behind the mRNA vaccines. I am very fortunate to know the science of what is being injected into my body. And it’s very fascinating to me how the cells react, specifically to the vaccine. The mRNA protein directs cells to produce the virus spike protein, provoking an immune response to that unknown protein. The body has to get used to this spike protein in order to know what to do if it encounters it in the future. My parents found out about the trial and asked me if I wanted to participate. They gave me the choice, and I said, yes! The first visit was long – it was over four hours. They asked me lots of questions, took blood samples and ran other medical tests. After the first shot my arm got sore after the first three hours and it swelled up about 2cm. My arm felt like it was dead by night time, but it wasn’t so painful that I needed Tylenol. There were surveys I had to fill out every day for data collection —the injection site, temperature and general health. After a few days my arm felt perfectly normal and I could exercise and have fun again. The second visit was exciting and scary. Scary because I heard that people got more side effects after the second shot. I answered lots of questions, underwent a few tests and received another shot. I had the same very sore arm and a low grade 99.5 fever later that night. I took two naps the next day. I felt back to normal after just a few days and could move my arm around. I’m looking forward to spending time with my grandma and seeing my friends. Honestly, I’m glad that I did it. It feels good to contribute to science and to humanity. All the kids in this study did one big random act of kindness—taking a personal risk to help others. I’m glad to be a part of ending the pandemic. There are about one billion adolescents on the planet according to UNICEF. I hope by participating in the trial that kids like me will be able to see their grandparents and friends again and go to school safely.
Young Bloggers
Ramses the Great
Ramses II is considered to be one of the greatest Egyptian pharaohs of all time, earning him the moniker Ramses the Great. He lived somewhere in between 1303 BC and 1213 BC, ruling from 1290 to 1224 BC during the New Kingdom. Ramses II’s grandfather, Ramses I, was the one who had “elevated their commoner family to the ranks of royalty through his military prowess” (National Geographic). His father, Seti I, ensured Egyptian’s prosperity by opening many mines and quarries. Although Ramses is most well-known for his building endeavors, he was also the first ruler to take part in a peace treaty whose record has survived. Many believe that Ramses was a good and effective ruler. Ramses influenced many aspects of Egypt, including its geography, religion, achievements, politics, economy, and social structure. Consequently, some of these categories also had an influence on Ramses. To say that Ramses changed Egypt’s geography would not be fully accurate. Rather, he added to its geography, quite literally. Ramses had conquered Canaan and the Israelites, but was constantly threatened by the formidable Hittites. In his early days, much of his rule was defending the Hittite-Egyptian border. This problem plagued him for several years before he finally negotiated a treaty with the Hitties, which happened to be the first peace treaty that historians know about. Besides his military prowess, Ramses is also known for his building projects. The most notable of these include his temple and Abu Simbel and Karnak, which happen to be located on the bank of the auspicious Nile River. This is most likely due to the fact that the Nile provided easy transportation of building materials and workers to and fro. Ramses also used historically legendary locations to his advantage; he built the city Per-Ramesses next to the city Avaris, a historically well-known city. Because this city was already known by many and had a strong reputation, Ramses further established his own repute among his subjects. However, his building endeavors were not carried out with only himself in mind. Ramses’ building projects were often influenced by his religious beliefs: most of his buildings were temples, including the ones at Abu Simbel and Karnak. What’s more impressive is that these temples are relatively unscathed (besides Abu Simbel, which had to be relocated to higher ground because of a flood). Most of these temples were dedicated to the sun god Ra, whom Ramses identified with. As an example, Abu Simbel was dedicated to Amun-Ra, a god that was a combination of Amun, another popular deity, and Ra. Besides gods, Ramses also built temples in honor of himself and his favorite wife, Nefertari (not to be confused with the more famous Nefertiti). The influence of religion on Ramses is also evident in his military campaigns. During his most famous Battle of Kadesh, he named his divisions after four major Egyptian gods: Amun, Ra, Ptah, and Seth. Although Ramses isn’t known for being a particularly pacifist pharaoh, he is known for his skill in negotiating. As mentioned earlier, he signed the first known peace treaty in history with the Hittites, which was a result of several years of negotiation. He then went further and married the Hittite king’s daughter to establish a gesture of goodwill toward his past enemies. The peace that Ramses established increased his appreciation from his subjects, and seeing that he wasn’t murdered during his 66 years of reign, he must have done his job well. However, biblical texts also paint a picture of him as notorious for relentlessly enslaving the Israelites and not letting them go. Ramses II influenced Egypt in a way unparalleled by any pharaoh before or after. He conquered land and defended it; he built buildings that are still standing; he won a battle with smaller numbers; everything about him is impressive. As a result of his legendary status, many pharaohs to come remembered him by taking the name Ramses; a fitting way to preserve the legacy of the incredible ruler of Egypt. –
Life Now, digital artwork by Mihika, 12
Mihika Sarkar Omachi, 12 (San Francisco, CA) Artist’s Note: This digital art is a human-shaped fishbowl. Fishbowls are like a cage because the fish can’t go anywhere, but they also protect the fish by keeping them in water. This is like shelter-in-place because we are all separated from each other, but also we are always at home where we can be observed like fish in a fishbowl.
