Enquirer: Balancing work and life in a pandemic
UC's Whitney Gaskins shares her experience raising a family while working remotely
The Cincinnati Enquirer profiled University of Cincinnati Assistant Dean Whitney Gaskins' daily challenge of balancing work and family obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For its weeklong series on how COVID-19 has shaped daily life in Cincinnati, the Enquirer talked to Gaskins, who works as assistant dean of inclusive excellence and community engagement in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science.
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Assistant Dean Whitney Gaskins. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative + Brand
Gaskins was UC's first Black biomedical engineering graduate. She was honored this year by the YWCA Greater Cincinnati as a Career Woman of Achievement.
And she is maintaining her daily work schedule at UC while raising an 18-month-old baby.
"She is the type of woman, the type of engineer, the type of mom, the type of leader we should all aspire to be. And even she is struggling," the Enquirer wrote about the impact of the pandemic.
According to public surveys, Americans are actually spending more time working than they did before the pandemic, despite the benefits of telecommuting. Gaskins told the Enquirer that she's doing likewise.
One photo from the Enquirer's feature spread shows Gaskins clad in a UC "We Engineer Better" sweatshirt checking her email by phone while holding her toddler, Waylen, in her lap.
"There is no such thing as balance," she told the Enquirer.
At the same time, Gaskins said she relishes the time she is able to spend with her baby. During the pandemic, she has been able to watch a myriad of firsts – words, steps and other indelible moments – while tending to her many duties as assistant dean and assistant professor.
"My husband makes fun of me," Gaskins told the Enquirer. "But I miss my son when he goes to bed."
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