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Area TF Asks What Kind of Platitudes Work Best for Student with Covid

Screenshot of a slack dm reading "and that's why I just thought it would be really important ti let you know before I told anyone else and I just want to thank you in advance and also just for an amazing semester so far!" that has been germ emoji reacted. the response reads "That sucks :("
Feel better! :(

CAMBRIDGE, MA– After Richard Wozniak ’24 tested positive for Covid-19, he rushed to email the only person who could make him feel better: his CS50 Teaching Fellow, Jenna Matthews ‘22. “I was so worried, with having a potentially deadly disease, that I would be unable to handle all of my regular academic course load, whilst trying to recover,” Wozniak explained, not ready for the absolutely amazing response to follow:

“That sucks :(,” responded Matthews, 73 hours later, via Slack. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you during this troubling time,” before setting herself as “away from computer” and silencing her notifications. Reports also claim that Matthews “Germ reacted” Wozniak’s plea for help. 

“I had a midterm and a couple of psets to handle, and it was getting really hard to move with the strain of body aches and high fever,” Wozniak described, “but this was really what I needed to incentivize me to spend the third all-nighter in a row on this project–it’s true what they say; love really is the best medicine!”

After his interaction with Matthews, Wozniak went straight to Professor Malan who in turn sent the TF a list of encouraging Instagram quotes and memes to send back to Wozniak. Notable suggestions included “Get well soon” and “What is your t-shirt size?”.

Matthews was still uncertain about which was most appropriate. Fortunately she tested positive herself the next day and was able to choose the most comforting option from among the platitudes sent to her by her own professors: “It’ll pass.” 

After both Wozniak and Matthews recovered, they reunited in section where Matthews greeted Wozniak with a warm “I hope you are feeling better Mr. Wolanski!” and claimed that his had been one of the most memorable Slack direct messages she had received that day. 

 
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