While some remember their high school days more fondly than others, it can be said that everyone carries a certain pride about having overcome various obstacles. As the high school graduating class of 2020 reflects on their senior year, they share a feeling of accomplishment and excitement for what’s to come.
Ana Montoya, a University of Houston-Downtown freshman studying marketing and finance, recalls struggling with feelings of self-doubt her senior year. Montoya explained that she was unsure of whether or not she would be accepted into colleges; however, she made it clear that her No. 1 priority above all other senior events was applying to colleges and graduating high school.
Similarly, Ashley Martinez, a Sam Houston State freshman studying criminal justice, shared these same goals, and was determined to graduate from high school and attain a higher education. Miguel Infante, a Lonestar College freshman studying criminal science, elaborated further when he expressed that “walking the stage was one of my biggest goals because not a lot of people did.”
All three students have differing experiences with their college application process; some felt as if COVID-19 seemingly had no significant impact, while others felt it impacted them in either a positive or negative light. Martinez said she believed the process was overall unchanged especially because she had help from her high school guidance counselor and college adviser. Infante, however, felt that he did not receive enough help at the end of the race that is college applications. He remembered being left alone to figure out all the obscure details and believed that his outcome would have been different under better conditions. Had he received more help from his college adviser in selecting colleges, he would have a wider variety of options. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is Montoya, who believes that the college application process was easier specifically because “schools were being more understanding that a lot of kids were not able to meet certain criteria.”
It is clear that all three students held very different expectations for what their first year of college would look like than what it was in actuality. Infante was excited to meet a diverse group of people, making many new friends and connections that he believed could last a lifetime. In reality, Infante was left to interact with his new peers through group chats, unable to meet anyone in person for fear of contracting COVID-19. This same sentiment resonated with Montoya and Martinez as they both explained that they expected to make lots of memories with new people but were restricted to building relationships online.
As students expect to learn in person next school year, Montoya expresses that although she’ll be a sophomore, she’ll be completely unfamiliar with her college campus and life, essentially making her feel like a freshman all over again. Martinez agrees as she conveys that since she’s never had a normal college experience, she isn’t truly sure what a normal college life would look like. Now that many see a sense of normalcy return, this group of rising college sophomores feels both anxious and excited about finally transferring into their new college spaces.