College of Saint Benedict (CSB) graduate Diane Houghton saw the COVID-19 pandemic first in Italy and then back in the United States, giving her a unique perspective.

The 1998 CSB graduate— also a 1989 graduate of St. Cloud (Minnesota) Apollo High School— calls Vicenza, Italy; home; a release on the college's website said. Her husband works at Casema Ederle (Camp Ederle), a military installation where U.S. troops are stationed.

Vicenza is in the heart of the region hit first when the coronavirus started spreading in Italy last winter.

“Once things shut down, they really shut down," she told the college. "People didn’t move. You had to have documents to travel anywhere. And by anywhere, I mean going a distance as short as from St. Cloud to Waite Park.

“But people understood it was a health crisis and didn’t fight it. Everyone seemed to comply.”

Gradually, life returned to something like normal.

She flew to the United States in late July with her daughter, who was enrolling at the University of Minnesota.

“Then we came here where the virus is still spreading," Houghton said. "And we first went to Washington D.C. where the rules were really strict. We weren’t sure what was going to be happening with the colleges as far as starting on time. So we plunged back into it in a way."

She’s shocked at how many people aren’t taking the coronavirus seriously.

“I do have to say that I’ve been shocked at the number of people here who still aren’t taking it seriously,” she said. “I think it’s become political. And that’s a real shame. Because this isn’t a political issue. It’s a health care issue.”