“There’s a value in a hard day’s work,” says Allison Southard, director of development at Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky. The school is one of nine colleges in the United States where students do many of the jobs—from farm work to fundraising—that keep the campus running. The goal is to keep costs down for both students and the administration.

That’s tricky in a pandemic, though, when disruptions to student work programs lead directly to disruptions in campus operations.

"Maria" was supposed to be a UC Davis student right now, attending online classes, balancing the stresses of being a freshman, and worrying about exams. Instead, she’s babysitting and cat-sitting in Marin County, so she can earn money to help support her family.

This year has been long and tumultuous for students like Maria, a generation of incoming college freshmen pulled between starting their college careers and helping their families. And while the pandemic-induced financial upheaval continues nationwide, this generation of freshmen is facing deep uncertainty.