By Christopher Hartwell @Silienceseen
Las Positas is sometimes referred to as “Lost Potential” because so many people seem to get stuck in a whirlpool of non-progress.
On May 16, the Transfer Center held a celebration for the students who managed to escape the tide.
For students, this was a chance to relax and look back on their hard work. There were donuts, bagels, coffee and cake all available to students to celebrate. At the various tables, students sat discussing their future education plans.
Michelle Erlandson, a sociology major transferring to CSU Stanislaus, said that being able to transfer out of Las Positas was a long time in coming.
“I’m so excited because I’ve been here at Las Positas for four years really undecided, but the college has helped me so much. It has guided me and helped me every step of the way and finally I’m transferring.”
The students at the celebration mentioned that they were grateful for the Transfer Center staff who helped them, and the staff said they were happy to assist the students who came to see them.
Michelle Zapata, a counselor in the Transfer Center said, “I’m very proud, a lot of the students that I see are students that I worked with last fall, 2016, working on their UC and CSU applications.”
For one of those students, AJ Sandhu, transferring to another school was just all part of his plan. For Sandhu, a business economics major transferring to UCLA, Las Positas was a financial decision. While he was accepted to UCLA when he applied in high school, he chose to instead go to a community college in order to save money. Now that he’s transferring, Sandhu says, “It’s not really that big a difference in the long run.”
As for the celebration, Zapata and the other counselors were happy to see students there enjoying themselves and preparing for their future academic journeys. Zapata said, “It’s something new and exciting for students to finish out their year with before they move on from Las Positas.”
With the end of the semester fast approaching, these students will soon be seeing Las Positas no longer as their future location for classes, but instead as their former academic stomping grounds.
