New York City is at the epicenter of the Covid-19 health crisis, and as a New York City-based College that educates students committed to public service, our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are working on the front lines to keep our communities safe. Our “Front-Line Heroes” article series serves as a testament to the valiant efforts of our first responders and essential workers. As a community we thank them for their service, dedication, and personal sacrifice.
New York National Guard Specialist Matthew Hart ’20 has a lot on his plate. He typically gets up at “zero-four-30” as he puts it—that’s 4:30 in the morning for us civilians—and juggles six classes at John Jay, active duty with the National Guard, a couple hours of sleep, and a few precious moments with his friends and family. “In the National Guard they always stress the importance of community, and New York City is in need right now,” says Hart, who’s been with his unit for two years and with the New York Army National Guard for four. “I’m doing this for the people. I’m actually really excited to be a part of something like this. I’m excited to help.”
Life in the National Guard During a Pandemic
Every morning Hart listens to a briefing from his Sergeant about the day’s assignments. His main jobs have been directing traffic at Covid-19 testing sites and helping organize food distribution centers for people in need. It’s during these twice-daily briefings that Hart gets his schedule along with any safety or policy updates. At the food distribution stations, Hart and the other men and women in his unit are physically moving pallets of food, unloading trucks, and organizing the distribution. “After the taxis come in, we give them food and send them to houses that have people in need, like seniors. They deliver the food, come back with the paperwork and we verify that the food has been delivered,” he explains.
“What we’re doing out there on the front lines is not like any of our other missions. We’re fighting something we can’t see.” —Matthew Hart
At the Covid-19 testing sites, Hart is often assigned the duty of taking information through car windows, but he's assigned himself another task. “People come through the testing site and they’re extremely scared. They drive up in their cars, and as instructed, they keep their windows up when they get to my checkpoint,” says Hart. “I’ve almost lost my voice some days because I have to speak really loud to check them in through the glass. After each person drives away from a Covid-19 testing site, I give them a thumbs up. I know that they’re nervous about the results and I want to encourage them to stay positive.” Because of his military background, Hart has a blunt but time-honored motto to get him through the challenging times. “It’s a saying we learned in basic training. We have to ‘embrace the suck.’” says Hart. “We’re in a bad situation. We know that things are not going well. But we have to deal with it and keep moving on with the mission. What we’re doing out there on the front lines is not like any of our other missions. We’re fighting something we can’t see.”
“After each person drives away from a Covid-19 testing site, I give them a thumbs up. I know that they’re nervous about the results and I want to encourage them to stay positive.” —Matthew Hart
Life as a Student Working on the Front Line
If everything goes according to plan, Hart, a Forensic Psychology major and an APPLE Corps student, will graduate this summer and then start attending the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, an M.S.W. program that’s already sent him an acceptance letter. “I love learning about psychology. It’s pretty dope learning something as straightforward as how human’s process information, or something as complex as mental disabilities or abnormalities,” says Hart. With his jampacked schedule, it’s a good thing he’s excited about what he’s studying. It takes a lot of self-discipline and planning to keep all of his obligations in order, but he’s found that his professors and peers are extremely encouraging and supportive. “The juggle is very difficult. There are times when you just want to sleep, but then you remind yourself that you have to get your homework assignment done,” says Hart. “During the mission you might get a 30-minute break, and that’s when I read, annotate, and get whatever homework I can done. That might let me get in a little more sleep when I get home. Everything in my life is really concentrated. All my 400-level courses are writing intensive and I have to devote a lot of energy into them.”
“Even going through Covid-19, we still have our traditions, we still have our cultures, and we still have our beliefs. The hope is still there and that’s important to remember.” —Matthew Hart
Life’s Little Uplifting Moments
For Hart, the rare silver lining throughout this pandemic is that he gets to work with his John Jay friends and fellow New York National Guard servicepeople Specialist Jeremy Lemus ’21 and Private First Class Jerrica Bosch ’24. “I work alongside them every morning,” says Hart. “It’s great because we keep each other going and we understand what the other person is going through both at school and during the mission.” In a particularly inspiring moment, his entire unit came together to honor some special heroes in their lives: their mothers. “On Mother’s Day, we got to leave a little early to contact our moms. I walked into the gym and saw everybody lined up singing ‘A Song for Mama’ and making a video for our moms,” says Hart. “We were all singing along and dancing six feet apart. It was the most joyous moment and I was excited to send the video to my mom. Even going through Covid-19, we still have our traditions, we still have our cultures, and we still have our beliefs. The hope is still there and that’s important to remember.”
