Spencer Kopp, August 26th, 2024

Taylor Claybrook: Okay. Today is August 26th. My name is Taylor Claybrook, and I'm sitting down with.

Spencer Kopp: Spencer Kopp.

Taylor Claybrook: Thank you for doing this interview, Spencer. So I'm going to start by asking what was your initial reaction to hearing about Covid?

Spencer Kopp: So initially, I think the first person that I heard like, talk about Covid, like I was going to. A serious issue was. Professor. Same car. And it was like, anthropology methods class. And my first reaction was like, it seemed like an overreaction at first because she was talking about, like, everything going on like a lion and everything else before, like I had been hearing that that's a possibility. So I would say that I was, like, kind of shocked to hear that, things would be going online. And not sure like how that was going to look with it coming up on like that.

Taylor Claybrook: And this was in March or was this before?

Spencer Kopp: Yeah, this was in March, I think.

Taylor Claybrook: Okay. February. March. And then when the lockdown finally happened. What was that like?

Spencer Kopp: It was a big change for sure, to go from, like all in-person classes to, online classes. I think the, capstone was the class that it affected the most because it went from like, in-person presentation, like at the Dia, before it had been to, like a shorter online format. So, yeah, my reaction was, yeah, still shock. Definitely about it. And then I moved from like, where I was living in, like Midtown, to just staying at home once, classes and stuff.

Taylor Claybrook: Can you explain your program? And you kind of already mentioned the capstone, but how else is your academic career impacted?

Spencer Kopp: Yeah. So I was in the anthropology program. Yeah, definitely the the final capstone presentation. There was like a big change with that. And I think the methods. Was there a class that was like, more hands on that? I feel like it had a bigger impact on. A lot of my other classes that were like. Not not so hands on. It had less of an effect on. But yeah, I take the capstone project and. Methods class, for the ones that get affected.

Taylor Claybrook: And what kept you busy during lockdown and where you said you were. Living at home. Where? Where's home?

Spencer Kopp: Home is Rochester, Michigan. And I didn't really stay that busy, I think, like, I had a think nothing was keeping me busy. Living close to campus just because everything was shut down. So that was part of the reason that I moved back home was. Because just to be around family and stuff and not just be. Doing nothing. And. So. Yeah, it's a family. Get me busy.

Taylor Claybrook: Did you have or do you have siblings?

Spencer Kopp: Yeah, I have that older sister who wasn't living at home and then a younger, sister who's living at home at that time while they were going to OU.

Taylor Claybrook: And how is the transition from in-person to online? And then I guess. When I say vice versa, I can kind of be like coming out of Covid because I guess when we were. Going back to school and lifting the restrictions and everything you had already graduated. But you can answer like, you know, just going back out to the real world after everything.

Spencer Kopp: Yeah, I mean, it was a lot different. Like, I think it definitely affected, like my job search and everything after because, yeah, like you said, I wasn't going back in person to school, once because I was already graduated by the time that restrictions and stuff were lifted. But it did definitely impact my job search where, like, I think I was looking for a career that was like, more hands on or in person. And like, those opportunities were a lot more limited at that time. And then I ended up, working remotely, for Quicken Loans. And yeah, that was pretty soon after I graduated. And there wasn't. Going back after the restrictions have been lifted. Yeah. Obviously impacted like the graduation ceremony and everything else. Yeah.

Taylor Claybrook: There was my next question is like, what? What did you do for your graduation? Because I know when, you know, everybody was graduating online, some people did, you know, like their own at home thing. So did you do anything like that?

Spencer Kopp: No, I was I work that day and I had it up on another laptop and I was trying to watch the name scroll by. I didn't even I didn't even.

Taylor Claybrook: Know it was just one of those things. I graduated to there.

Spencer Kopp: Yeah.

Taylor Claybrook: Yeah. What was it like interacting with your family that lived outside of your house? Not just family. Family and friends and classmates.

Spencer Kopp: It it was a little bit, different for sure, because, like, there was such a huge variance on, like. How people thought about masking and social distance and all that stuff. I think it was a good like, I think my extended family on my mom's side, I didn't see for like, like a year or something. After that and then my dad's side, I think I saw a little bit sooner than that. But, not as much as I would have with it wasn't I didn't Covid, and there's a lot more precautions and everything that.

Taylor Claybrook: And how would you say your sense of community at school was affected, or was it affected at all? You know, like hanging out with people, like how deeply to Tibet and back you.

Spencer Kopp: It just dropped off like you went away.

Taylor Claybrook: Okay.

Spencer Kopp: Pretty much.

Taylor Claybrook: And how long have you been in the city and at Wayne State when everything kind of.

Spencer Kopp: So I transferred to Wayne State sophomore year. So, the first year I was out Wednesday, my sophomore year, I lived in the dorms. The second year, I lived with my sister in Saint Clair Shores. And then the third year I lived, new. Terrible diversion.

Taylor Claybrook: Oh, how long had you been in the city? With a lockdown. So you answered. And so you didn't. How long were you in Detroit? You said when you were new center.

Spencer Kopp: For a year. Just out my senior year.

Taylor Claybrook: So you only really got to live in the city for, like, a year before everything.

Spencer Kopp: Yeah. I mean, I lived in the dorms, but, I don't know, it's not really the same.

Taylor Claybrook: Yeah. What's on mean?

Spencer Kopp: I think it was. It was the old one by the. By the Einstein bagels defying.

Taylor Claybrook: Oh. The fairy. Okay. I lived in towers when I was a sophomore. Two completely different thing.

Spencer Kopp: Yeah.

Taylor Claybrook: Is there anything you wish Wayne State would have done differently, or what do you appreciate about their Covid efforts? So.

Spencer Kopp: I mean, I definitely appreciate that. I felt like I got a really good early warning about it and like a like again, shout out to professor. Same car. Like, I think she did a great job. Kind of like mentally taking half of a class and like mentally preparing for like the impact that it could have. So I really liked how they handled that. As well as like the restrictions and stuff. I do wish they would have done something a little bit different with, graduation, maybe not necessarily in person, but I feel like they can trying to find a way to make it a little bit more than just a list of names on a. PowerPoint. But I can't really complain about that. I'd say overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the way that things are handled. But I wasn't really around campus much after that. So I don't have like a great sense of that either.

Taylor Claybrook: Yeah, I know a lot of people have like the, the drive by graduations where you would drive your car pass. My sister had a drive by graduation to her high school.

Spencer Kopp: Yeah.

Taylor Claybrook: Yeah. But I, I agree, it sucks that the whole online thing, which is kind of like, here's a slideshow and I'm like, that's your graduation.

Spencer Kopp: Yeah.

Taylor Claybrook: How would you say or if at all. How is Covid impacted who you are today? I mean, career wise, personally, however you want to?

Spencer Kopp: Yeah. I mean, I think career wise, like I said, like. When I was graduating with my degree, I wanted to do something and like user experience and like hands on, like focus groups, that kind of stuff. And there was a lot less of those opportunities. So I think it changed to what, like I was immediately looking for, which was like something consistent and remote. So and I think that like kind of just affected the whole trajectory of like where I'm at now because I did like some data analytics certificate. And thinking about like data science or something for a masters potentially. So, I think if I would have been more in that like hands on user experience type of like area versus having that break where I was doing something kind of random, unrelated to my degree remotely and then like having that time to rethink, my career. Yeah, I think I've definitely, like, impacted the trajectory of it. And I would say, like socially I was there is definitely like a couple of years that I was like pretty like socially isolated coming out of it. And. Yeah, it's it's. They're just in it.

Taylor Claybrook: Yeah. Would you come back to wait if you did a master's degree or would you go somewhere else?

Spencer Kopp: I would consider when. Okay. Yeah.

Taylor Claybrook: Do you have any additional thoughts or questions? No, Okay. You did great.