Twenty-three-year-old Noah Rosenzweig lives in northwest Washington, D.C. with his dog, Pilot. He graduated from Georgetown University in May 2020.

Rosenzweig had always envisioned college graduation as a set of twin finish lines: he'd be a degree-holder and he could finally medically transition. Then lockdowns hit and everything was put on pause. Rosenzweig wouldn't be seeing his family for months and there was suddenly less pressure to stick to the planned timeline.

In April, one month before graduating, Rosezweig began a testosterone regimen. Then he got top surgery in September.

To offset medical bills and ensure he could pay rent, Rosenzweig got a retail job at Nordstrom in October. Just like so many Americans during the pandemic, Rosenzweig is working in-person to maintain financial stability, even though it means putting his health at risk. The bright side: since working in-person post-operation, Rosenzweig says he hasn't been misgendered once.

This audio story is part of the larger feature article “Pandemic lockdowns gave young people freedom to explore gender identities” by USA TODAY journalists Sammy Gibbons and Claire Thornton, publishing in February.

Follow Sammy Gibbons and Claire Thornton on Twitter @sammykgibbons and @claire_thornto.