CLEVELAND — These days, it can be easy to live a life in isolation, but a northeast Ohio woman wants to change that.
Brianna Zgodinski, an English professor, created Let’s Go Meet the Neighbors. It’s a website and associated social media pages geared toward introducing the public to everyday folks in the Cleveland area.
She said it’s her way of trying to solve the problem of loneliness.
“Over the past few years, I’ve come to realize just how big of an issue social isolation is and also the effect it has on people’s health and well-being,” Zgodinski said.
The professor is teaching two virtual classes for Cuyahoga Community College this semester, but online classes just aren’t the same.
“I do miss seeing the students in person,” she said. “That was my favorite thing. I loved having the discussions in person.”
The isolation brought on by the pandemic pushed her to think of a way to connect people in the community.
“To show people that there are people out there who are smart and kind and intelligent,” she said. “And who are trying to make Cleveland a better place.”
She started creating profiles of interesting individuals and sharing them on Let’s Go Meet the Neighbors.
“It’s understandable that people don’t want to take risks and reach out to people that they don’t know,” Zgodinski said. “It’s a very human response, I think.”
She said sharing these stories shows there are people out there worth reaching out to for rewarding relationships.
“I’ll do it as long as people want to keep participating,” she said. “I think there are countless things to be said about being a good neighbor and being an active member of a community, so I’ll never run out of material.”
So far, meeting neighbors has all been done virtually. In the future, Zgodinski plans to have in-person meet-up events.
