Though it wasn’t always easy, Ramla Geilani is proud to say she’s graduating this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped her college experience and made things harder, she said.

“The hardest thing about graduating college during a pandemic was starting to lose motivation,” Geilani said. “Us college students didn’t really get to experience the regular college experience this past year and a half due to the pandemic.”
And even before classes went remote, it took some time for her to adjust to Highline.

Highline helped Tyler Ing-Pich find his voice.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people apart, he said he’s managed to grow close to those around him, all while learning more about himself and the person who he wants to be.

“Throughout my two years as a Highline student, I have been able to meet and connect with peers, professors, and counselors who have undoubtedly helped me grow significantly as an individual,” said Ing-Pich.

Returning to school gave Cathleen Turner the career path she wanted, alongside a better future for both her, and her daughter.
That’s not to say that it’s been an easy journey.

“It was a new beginning for me, I was really burned out with all the jobs I was doing. I wanted to go back to school to solidify a new opportunity,” Turner said.

Before becoming a mom, Turner was prepared to go to law school. So when her daughter came, plans had to shift.

Poetry helped Emily Hamilton reclaim rhyme and reason in her life.

Hamilton is a returning college student finishing her AA degree with honors and is an editor for Arcturus, the college literary magazine.

She will be working on her bachelor of applied science in Global Trade and Logistics at Highline in the fall.

Mary Belay is ready to shut her laptop and get back into the classroom.

When she first made the decision to attend Highline two years ago, she didn’t expect to be spending more hours on Zoom than on campus. And adjusting to the new learning environment proved to be a challenge.