Last spring, members of our Chambers College family quickly learned how to teach and assist our students remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from mastering the world of Zoom, we were scavenging for essentials at the grocery store, digging out our most comfortable work-from-home attire, and pivoting our plans when events and other college activities were being canceled.
The debate on whether working from home is a luxury or not has yet to be answered, but with the stress of the pandemic and everything else that came with 2020, many of us took use of our free time to revisit an old hobby or start a new one.
In fact, 73 percent of Americans said their newfound passions have been therapeutic.
Read what hobbies our faculty and staff got busy doing during the last eight months.
Sarah Glenn
Associate Director of Center for Career Development: My daughters and I loved planting and growing a flower and vegetable garden—especially when we could simply walk out back and pick fresh ingredients for a salad!
Susan Lantz
Marketing Teaching Assistant and Professor: I have taken up quilting again (I haven’t quilted since my kids were born and now they’re learning to drive). You don’t really need to re-teach yourself, but it is important that you have time and that you not be exhausted from the day. I quilt while we watch TV at night.
Ajay Aluri
Director of the HIT Lab and Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management: I created my own website and started blogging. My first blog post was on Virgin Hyperloop in West Virginia and the Future of Travel.
Rachel Nieman
Director of Undergraduate Recruitment and Retention: I purchased a desk bike and have been biking for 30 to 60 minutes per day most days per week. I have also taken up journaling, but the biggest change to my life has been grocery shopping instead of eating out all the time. I find that I love to shop and cook now!
Javier Reyes
Milan Puskar Dean and Vice President for Start-up West Virginia: I am doing more exercise for sure. Outfitted a small workout room with an elliptical, weights, and a space for yoga and Pilates for my wife. I also added a T.V. with access to Amazon Prime and I am watching the Big Bang Theory or Star Wars series (Clone Wars or Rebels) while working out!
Global Supply Chain Management Chair: Smoking, and by smoking, I mean smoking different meats on the grill – Brisket, Chicken, Choriço!
Josh Hall
Chair and Professor of Economics: I have been digging deeper into musical genres. I have also been walking a lot more, so I’m listening to a lot of music on my walks. Each month I’ve been challenging myself to make a playlist around a theme as a way to discover new music (at least new to me). For example, here is June 2020 – “ My Dad Is Famous” playlist. Every song is by an artist whose father is a famous musician.
Aside from school work and extracurricular activities, did you pick up any new hobbies during the last few months? If so, we would love to hear about them!
Share your new hobby with us and you may be featured on our social media pages.