Jordan Occasionally or JD, (pronouns they/them) is a non-binary, bisexual, Black Neo-Soul and R&B artist from Memphis. JD is a senior music business student with a minor in African American History at the University of Memphis. They remember the way last semester ended, cut short by the pandemic. Some people were given time off from their jobs, and some received stimulus or unemployment checks.
JD said the pandemic and spending time away from work, rewired their brain, allowing them to focus on their music.
"It just made me realize people are more productive when they rest, and rest is revolutionary," they said.
JD was hoping to bring some of the new things they learned about throughout the pandemic into the fall semester such as taking things slow to manage stress and resting when overworked. "But it was kind of just back to business for us for some reason," they said.
“[This semester has been about] working on the computer for x amount hours and individualized learning," JD said. "You have to know everything and have to be good at everything yourself. It's just impossible to make connections with other people, it's impossible to really talk to your professors because this is their nine to five and [they're struggling too.] This is what they're being told to do. These structures, elitist structures, [show that] universities don't really care about the mental health and the well-being of their students. After literally revolutions, police brutality, all types of reforms and students almost losing their visas to be at school in the first place it was swept under the rug."
JD is one of the many students, who have signed the petition to get the university to offer a pass/fail, an option that was given the previous semester under similar circumstances of the pandemic that we are still experiencing. Months later, there are added layers of social and political turmoil along with months of limited social interaction that has taken a toll on some students. Some risk losing scholarships and financial aid this semester.
"I'm still picking up a lot of credit hours while also trying to work jobs outside of school during a pandemic," JD said. "It's just really a bunch of added stress right now [in order] to keep achieving a certain GPA so that I can be eligible for whatever criteria is needed."
With this being an abnormal semester and stressful semester, JD has been using social media for comedic relief and to stay informed about real things, but it also offers a distraction.
"Maybe that's my problem, but I just find it really hard, with the social climate. I want to be informed about real things that are going on right now," JD said. "I don't really care about this docile learning and fake world that I'm living in right now because it hasn't seemed to apply yet to my real life."
Jordan is making music and organizing efforts to feel connected and present, getting them through this “stressful” semester.
JD takes pride in community organizing, having co-founded an organization for COVID Relief known as PPEFORBIPOC. The organization has been showing up in different communities and giving away free face-masks, hand sanitizers and sanitary products to those in need has been "a great distraction" for them.
"I'm not on my phone for hours. I'm talking to people and letting them know we see them. We recognize how low-income communities are going to be the ones that are mostly affected by the virus," JD said.
