FIRST BIG TEST: RETURN TO CLASS
Esteban Reyes wants to make some clay pots. The rising senior at Cal Poly Pomona is still hoping to take a ceramics course before he graduates. His plans to take the hands-on class fell through last year because of the pandemic. Reyes is among the more than 60 college students who responded to a recent callout from The Times and shared their hopes, concerns and expectations about the academic year ahead.
As part of his senior bucket list, Reyes said he’d like to make the most of his school’s resources, participating in some in-person matches with his chess club and finding an adventurous new way to spend time.
“I think I want to join another club. Not sure what, but something totally not in my comfort zone,” he said in a Zoom interview.
“Not sure” seems to be a recurring motto for returning college students, many of whom are stepping into a classroom for the first time since March 2020. As policies change at school, state and federal levels, the 2.7 million students who attend college in California (the most of any state
in the country) are living with a lot of uncertainty about their fall semester.