Michelle Fanara, Pandemic Diaries Project, 2020

Michelle Fanara, Pandemic Diaries Project, 2020

This student had multiple jobs, including working at the LACC and even as a TA at Cal State LA. She contemplates the potential loss of her martial arts studio as she teaches significantly fewer people virtually.

Fanara, Michelle

Pandemic Diaries Project, Special Collections & Archives, California State University, Los Angeles

California State University, Los Angeles, Library. Special Collections & Archives

2020-05-06

IN COPYRIGHT

MP4

Oral History

3b3_TXT_jobs

“I'm a poor small business owner, and you know that that was my American dream was to open up a martial art studio... And I opened up seven almost eight years ago...I went from teaching 15 to 20 kids in a class … 10 to 12 adults...and having two after school programs ... between 60 and 70 people...And then all of a sudden... seven, eight kids on Zoom and teaching maybe six seven people... I have to realize that maybe, maybe my business is gonna die because of COVID-19...I've tried to apply for so many things business grants, and you have no idea how many denials I got. So, I've tried, I really have. I've tried to be [a] good person with it all.”