Tideline Magazine

Photo Illustration by Atticus Parker

asked back but had chosen
to accept employment at
other companies or schools.
Those who worked at
Pali throughout the spring
semester did their best to
manage the situation. Brown,
who often worked the night
shift, said the schedule was
psychologically onerous.
“Literally there was some
point where I was just like:
How much longer can I keep
doing this?” he said. “Because
my kids are at school during
the day, and my family’s at
work during the day, I don’t
see anybody during the day.
I sit around all day waiting
to go to work to sit around
again for eight-and-a-half

more hours without contact.”

To rack up as many

part-time hours as he could,

Brown frequently worked

back-to-back night and

morning shifts last semester.

During most nights he said

he returned to his Downey

home at 11 p.m., then woke up

at 6 a.m. to leave for work again,

erasing all possible family time.

“That’s what we do to

make sure we get as many

days as possible,” he said, “so

we can’t be picky about shifts.”

Still, Brown holds his head

up. “The small time that you

have, you make the most of it.

Don’t complain about it, just

be thankful that you got it and

that you got your family and

that you got your health,” he

said. “None of us ever thought

we’d be dealing with this,

but we’re getting through it.”

His sister’s powerful exam-

ple and his own philosophical

outlook have focused him on

gratitude. “We all think that life

is just so rough and that we can’t

get through it,” Brown mused,

“but we never know what the

next person is going through, or

what the next person is dealing

with, that is just so much more

tragic or so much more deep

than what we’re dealing with.”

Brown and other aides

completed safety training

over the summer and have

been back on campus Mon-

days through Fridays since

then, performing mandatory

COVID-19 screenings and

enforcing safety guidelines.

Pali reopened its campus

to sports teams in March,

and Brown is serving as the

Athletics COVID-19 Compli-

ance Monitor, assuring that

mask-wearing and social dis-

tancing protocols are adhered

to during practices and games.

Now fully vaccinated

and less worried about his

personal safety, Brown can

do what he loves to do most:

spread his positivity and joy.

“I’m glad to have that con-

nection again with everyone

and glad to see the smiles

again,” he said. “I’m starting

to feel like myself again now.”

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