“Covid hit in March of my senior year, and from there on, my educational journey has been less than traditional. I, like many others in the class of 2020, didn’t get a conventional prom or graduation. However, my school did put on a parade and an outdoor drive-through graduation. Unlike many others in my class, I couldn’t attend. Both of my parents had underlying medical conditions that required extra care. I had initially wanted to go to Towson. Still, because of added isolation precautions, I ultimately decided to take classes through the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), which also happened to save money. My parents pushed for a prestigious career, like something in computer science or engineering. I wanted to make them happy, so I took computer classes in high school and decided to major in something that combined my passions with it, so I decided to major in graphic design. While at CCBC, since my classes were online, I was able to visit my family in Pakistan after the travel bans were lifted. Both of my parents were born in Pakistan, and a lot of my family still resides there. What was originally supposed to be a one-month trip turned into a three-month trip. I took both synchronous and asynchronous classes during my time in Pakistan, and during synchronous courses, when we had to have our cameras on, people would comment on the fact that my background in the window behind me was dark while it was the middle of the day back in the United States.

“After two years of taking classes at CCBC, I transferred to Stevenson. The university was recommended to me by multiple of my CCBC professors as they said it was a very transfer student friendly school because it took most accredited courses and had lots of scholarship opportunities. Even after transferring to a school that I thought would make everything better, I was still miserable. With Stevenson being such a small school, I still felt like I was being isolated, and the classes I was taking were doing nothing to make me feel better. I then decided to prioritize myself and what I wanted for myself, which I realized was different from what my parents wanted. I made the choice to change my major to Business Communication and my parents were very supportive of it. Since changing my major, I have grown to love it here at Stevenson. I was amazed at the big difference in being in the right major for me. I enjoy my classes and love the people I study with. I finally feel like Stevenson University is my home.”