‘All it takes is courage’: 5 Pittsburgh seniors share aspirations after navigating high school in the pandemic

Left to right, above: Victor Robinson, Jayla McCoy, Laniah Walker, Jamir Jackson and Darnell Jeffries. Photo by Lucas Zheng/PublicSource.

Enrollment has dropped at colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania. Some local high schoolers, though, have post-graduation plans that could help offset the decline. Forced to navigate nearly two years of disrupted learning, a group of five seniors at Pittsburgh Milliones 6-12, University Preparatory School spoke with PublicSource about their aspirations and the ways the pandemic has impacted their high school experience.

The pandemic further motivated 18-year-old Jamir Jackson to apply to college. He intends to study criminal justice or cybersecurity at a four-year school instead of seeking an associate’s degree, which he previously planned to pursue.

Several students said they’ve learned how to be more independent. Though Laniah Walker, 18, could’ve decided not to attend her online classes while at home, she made sure that she woke up, logged on and kept up with her assignments. The self-discipline she’s gained has helped prepare her for college, she said, where she’ll have a larger workload and less oversight from her professors.

Want to learn more about what these kids are planning beyond high school in the pandemic? Read the rest of this article here.

This story was originally published by PublicSource, a news partner of Kidsburgh.org. PublicSource is a nonprofit media organization delivering local journalism at publicsource.org. You can sign up for their newsletters at publicsource.org/newsletters.