Kearny High School bid farewell to a group of their seniors on Jan. 24. The following Monday, January 27th, San Diego Mesa College welcomed the students who were eager to begin their college experiences. For years the Kearny High School has been graduating large amounts of their students a semester early, allowing them to get a head start on their college credits. This year they managed to send 173 seniors our way, according to the four school counselors.
Three of the seniors in particular were willing to speak on behalf of their experiences at Mesa and its’ impact on their education so far. Brianna Cariño, a senior from Kearny School of International Business, claims, “It definitely showed me high school is nothing like college, even if it is just Community College. I had to adapt mentally and socially. But I can already say I love Mesa.” Furthermore, Cariño says, “Being here full time at first was a hard transition from Kearny but now that I’ve adapted, it’s nice. I love my schedule and my classes are all interesting and challenging. I love being able to tell people I’m a college student full time at Mesa.”
Jaquan Pizarro, a senior from Kearny School of Digital Media and Design, says, “My experience so far has been great! I have so much more time to do my work and I can actually go into work more often.” Pizarro later adds, “Mesa’s really awesome so far!”
Josephine Winterstein, a senior from Kearny School of Science, Connections and Technology, also speaks positively about her experience at Mesa from these past few weeks. “So far, I think the school is great, my classes and teachers have been really helpful and engaging, and I’ve been experiencing nothing but a friendly environment wherever I go on campus,” says Winterstein. She also adds, “I’ve really been enjoying it, especially because I feel like I get to take classes that pertain more to what I’m interested in, rather than taking classes that I’m required to take.”
Aside from adjusting to campus life, these three seniors tell us how Mesa will benefit them in the future – and they all can agree that attending Mesa now is great preparation for going to a university later. “I think that my time at Mesa would just make the transition to a four year college easier, more so than it is now,” says Pizarro. Similarly, Winterstein says, “Just having the experience will help me when I go to college on my own because I’ve learned how to work in a college environment, apply for financial aid, and get college textbooks.” Cariño says, “Now that I know what it’s like to be in college, I know what to expect for my four year university and be able to handle the work load and stress. We definitely can’t slack off or procrastinate in college!”