Former Bakersfield College student, Ricardo Garcia left school during the Spring 2022 semester because of financial and academic challenges he faced from COVID-19 “I needed to provide for my family, after all, I am a father of two baby girls,” Garcia said.
“My first semester at BC was right after high school which was back in 2015. I was not enrolled in the Fall 2022 semester.”
According to Garcia, “In 2022 for the spring semester I was taking 17 units and some resources were provided for me to stay enrolled at BC, but it just came down to a situation where my current job was not cutting it, it just wasn’t making enough.”
Garcia is a hands-on and face-to-face learner in the classroom and from his personal experience “school has everything a student needs to succeed, it just comes down to the student wanting to learn” he said.
Five years from now Garcia can see himself doing his dream career as a sports analyst. Although he left Garcia mentioned how he enjoyed going to college, “it hasn’t left my mind since I left because wanted an education for myself and to be an example for my girls” Garcia said.
“The advice I have for students in similar situations who attend school and have kids is don’t overwhelmed themselves with so many classes it’s better to go slow and steady than to try and finish fast and not finish at all.” He continued, “we need more professional and knowledgeable people in our community.”
