Editor’s note: “The new normal” is a continuing series that looks into how members of the Los Medanos College community are coping with a shelter-in-place order amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the Coronavirus affecting daily lives, transferring from a community college to a university is upon the list of “if and when?” 

Business administration major Jonathan Trejo is one such student who is not sure what his future in education will hold. 

After three years at Los Medanos College, Trejo will be graduating this semester. Upon learning that graduation would be held virtually, Trejo said it wouldn’t make up for a traditional ceremony and his hard work would not be acknowledged. 

“When I found out that graduation was going to be held online it bummed me out,” he said. “At this point, I just want to move on to the next chapter of my life which is transferring to a university.” 

With a new step in his education on the horizon, Trejo fears that his transfer plans may be affected due to the Coronavirus. Trejo looked forward to transferring and moving to a university, but he feels that those plans may not become a reality this fall.

In the beginning, Trejo struggled in adjusting to online learning, saying he found himself “having to teach myself most of the material than before.”

The most difficult part of the process for Trejo has been needing to adjust to the new requirements put in place by professors and not having the on-campus resources that were available, like the Center for Academic Support or the computer labs. 

“Another thing that I had difficulty with was acquiring the software that I needed for some of my classes,” he said. “It took me more than a week to acquire it, making me a bit behind in class.”

A few weeks after transitioning online, Trejo says that he has finally settled into it, but has noticed that his motivation to complete assignments has decreased.

Beside completing his education at LMC, Trejo handles other responsibilities. He continues to work and pay his bills while trying to stay healthy by “taking extra precautions when stepping foot outside my house,” he said.