The college path. For many, it’s bumpy and twisty. Some struggle to find it in the first place or lose the trail somewhere along the way. Others just flat out have no interest in pursuing it at all.

We’re spending this year talking with Californians about their experiences with college, with a special focus on telling the stories of people who live in parts of the state where college-going has long lagged behind.

Some people, we know, are much more likely to enroll in college and to finish it than others. If you’re Black or Hispanic, live in a poor neighborhood, or would be the first in your family to go to college your likelihood of earning a degree is lower than your white and wealthier peers. 

Consider these numbers: More than one in three Californians has a bachelor’s degree. But barely more than one in 10 — 13 percent — of Hispanic state residents do. For Black Californians, the number is just over one in four.

Geography matters too. Generally, in California, if you live in a coastal county you’re more likely than someone in an inland or rural region to go to college and to get through.

When you look at who has earned education credentials of any kind post high-school, more than half of Californians have. But in a place like agricultural San Joaquin County, it’s just over one in four. In rural Lassen County, it’s not even one in five.

The numbers delineate the stark gaps. But they don’t tell us much about the why — or what could make a difference. For that we need to learn more about the who.

What really gets in the way of individuals’ college dreams? What barriers are too high, what needs are more pressing? Where do people get turned around after they do enroll, or what makes them steer clear of the whole college journey in the first place?

At the same time, how do others find their way through? What, or who, keeps them going? Why do they persevere?

Photos by Salgu Wissmath. Interviews by Victoria Franco & Naomi Harris.

School has always been my safe place. No matter what’s going on in my life, I’ll focus on school and school will be there. School is a place where I can control my surroundings and if I can do good, it’ll better myself. 

But along the way that kind of changed. This summer I lost my boyfriend in a car accident and it’s been really tough. 

At first, I was taking 16 units thinking I was going to be able to handle it. I had to kind of humble myself and be like, ‘OK, this is not a good time for you and that’s okay.’ So I dropped two classes. I’m pretty studious. But as of right now, it’s kind of hard to find any motivation to get through school.

I never ever thought that something could affect me this much because I’ve been through a lot already. And look at me, like, I’m still going to school, I’m still super good at it. Nothing stopped me. And then this happened.

I don’t know. What do I want for myself now? I’ve had to ask that question because I realized that school isn’t the same for me. I’m trying to find a landing place.

— Interview by Naomi Harris 

I ran out of the classroom crying. I’ve never felt so ashamed, I felt like I didn’t deserve to be here.

My professor came out and asked me what was going on and I told her I wasn’t prepared, and she told me “Ok that’s fine, I read your work, you’re very clearly capable and you can pass this class as easy as anybody else.”

She was really begging me to come back in, but I went in, grabbed my stuff, and I went home and dropped the class.

In my first semester of college, it was so horrifying, because they don’t tell you as a person coming straight out of high school that three units equals like six hours of homework. There was no preparation.

I realized though, that I am super capable when I have a team.

So, my boyfriend graduated and came to Delta and he needed to take English 1A so I was like, alright, I’m gonna do it again.

Being at Sac State feels good because I made it out. Now that I’ve made it out of Delta, I know I can make it out of Sac State. But I’m failing most of my classes. It kind of sucks but at the same time, like it’s just a weird balance to try and hold. I have friends who are in the same situation — working two jobs. I had to take French. But there’s too much going on outside of school for me to focus on learning French. 

See, that’s what I’m saying. I’m doing bad this semester. I have a friend, she is more worked up about it than I am. She’s like, how are you not stressed out about this? I prioritize things differently and I stress out about things that matter to me more. 

School has never really been for me. But my mom really wanted me to go. Sometimes advisors would give you the wrong advice. You would end up having to take a class you didn’t need. Delta felt exactly like high school and I didn’t like that at first. For two years, I would just go to class and go home, go to class and go home. My uncle told me about construction and how they make a lot of money doing stuff like that and that was my plan. But when I graduated high school, I was like I want to do something where I feel like, I’m not just working for a paycheck. I want to do something I’m passionate about. 

That’s when I found journalism and writing. I’ve always liked to write, but it never occurred to me that you could write and get paid for it, or like, do it as a job. With journalism, once I started doing that I stopped taking care of the other classes because that’s all I wanted to do. I was doing something I love for the first time in a long time. Like I’d never found a passion. I’m very closed off in a way so it took me a lot to open up to people. That’s why I joined journalism too because it made me go out and talk to strangers and shit. That scared the hell out of me.

— Interview by Naomi Harris

Reporting made possible with support from College Futures Foundation.