Life after Scots

GyLDELLE ESpANo

KAyLEy EbAUGH

With the end of the year coming faster than ever, more than 500 students in the Carlmont community are making the difficult decision to continue college or transition into a financial career. With so many different goals and beliefs in mind, certain decisions can seem detrimental. Many people still believe that going straight into a four-year college should be the only goal to have, but that isn’t the right choice for everyone. Options like community plans and financial opportunities are also available. Many people fear the next step in their lives and don’t know what to do.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in October 2020, 66.7% of high school graduates aged 1624 enrolled in college or universities, compared to 66.2% in 2019. Due to almost two years in quarantine from COVID-19, a preliminary report from March 2021 by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows the pandemic’s effect, with college enrollment declining by 6.8%.

With the return to in-person school, the class of 2022 is up next for their step into the future. These three Carlmont seniors are no exception.

Jasleen Singh has been playing softball for 14 years, including all four years at Carlmont. Singh is interested in psychology and hopes to become a therapist one day. Avik Majumdar has been planning his future while attending Carlmont by taking marketing and business classes at Carlmont, as well as networking with other students with similar business goals. Leo McBrian has kept his creativity in Carlmont through illustration classes and is a part of both the guitar and philosophy club, passionate about the different views of the world and the creativity one can achieve.

Jasleen Singh -

“I used to live in the Hayward area, which is across the bridge. I used to go through a lot, and I felt like I couldn’t talk to anyone, and all my colored friends felt like they couldn’t talk to anybody. I always used to want to be a nurse, which my mom was doing, but then I realized that people really don’t have anyone to talk to. It was always in the back of my mind, but then I met more people who had a lot of stuff going on in their lives. They feel like they have nobody to talk to on campus or just in general. Now, after Carlmont, I’m playing softball at Howard with an athletic scholarship and will be studying psychology for the next four years, and I hope one day to own my own practice and become a therapist.”

“I’m going to Cañada Community College, 20 minutes away from my house, because the prices are so high for schools like UC’s, I don’t have to pay for community, and it still seems like good quality education, especially with how well funded the Bay Area is. Most people think that’s a really good option, but there is probably some underlying idea that’s thinking, ‘Oh, they can’t get into a UC or something.’ But for me, I think Cañada is just your starting point or any community college, and then you get to a school where you can pursue some sort of craft or career such as art. After two years of Cañada, I can go to an art school, since a lot of art schools are really expensive. Two years would be just enough since I’ll need only two years of the school that charges $40K a year. That would only be $80K in college debt rather than $160K.”

“I plan on attending a four-year university. I haven’t decided on which school yet, but I plan on majoring in information systems, and my career goal is to become an entrepreneur and have my own business. I’m trying to see the best route I could take that can account for my career and also the amount of money I want to spend on school. My family has a business in real estate, and from a young age, I’ve been working with my mom to see what it takes to run a business. I’ve been reaching out via LinkedIn to people in my school who are also doing similar things to me because I take the business pathway at Carlmont, which is the marketing and integrative business class. I had the opportunity of meeting a lot of people who are like-minded at Carlmont’s business program. I’ve done work in school, and I’m trying to do some work out of school with a couple of friends to maybe start something.”

Leo McBrian -

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Avik Majumdar -