CULVER CITY, Calif. — With no WiFi and no laptops, the pandemic has made it even harder for low income students to pursue a college degree.

Research from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows enrollment at community colleges decreased by 8% nationwide this Fall.  


What You Need To Know

  • With no WiFi and no laptops, the pandemic has made it even harder for low income students to pursue a college degree

  • Research from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows enrollment at community colleges has decreased by 8% nationwide this fall

  • Research also finds that first time student enrollment this year is by far the biggest decline of any student group from last year, down 22.7% at community colleges nationwide

  • On average, enrollment across the L.A. Community Colleges District has declined by about 10% this fall, which boils down to 30,000 fewer students

Life sometimes has a way of throwing us off our horse.

Cynthia Saavedra was all set to go to a Cal State University, when she found out she was pregnant with Favian. She took a couple years off to focus on being a mother.

"Once I felt ready to go back to school, I decided to apply again," Saavedra explained.

She started West L.A. College in February, relying heavily on the free childcare the junior college offered to low income students, then the pandemic hit and all classes were moved online.

Cynthia was faced with a difficult decision, drop out and become a statistic or keep pushing. Her mom let her move into a small room she had been renting out so Cynthia would have a quiet place to focus.

“I just moved in this room this month," Cynthia said. "My mom was renting this room to someone else because she needed help with rent, she couldn’t pay it by herself. And obviously I wasn’t working so I couldn’t help her.”

Cynthia got a job babysitting so she could afford to help her mom pay the bills, buy a laptop, and get internet service for school.

Now, in addition to watching her own one-year-old, the full-time student babysits her neighbor’s four and nine-year-olds every day while they’re parents are at work.

Her days are planned out by the hour. It’s a balancing act and one that gets overwhelming at times.

"To everybody that sees me, I feel like having a son at such a young age is a disappointment," Saavedra said through tears. "And that’s how society sees it. If you’re a mom at a young age, it’s like 'oh you know, she doesn’t have a future.' And that’s why I’m trying my best, so hard to turn that mindset around and be like, even though you’re a single mom, you can do it.”

The 21-year-old freshman is determined to graduate in four years, despite the challenges.

Cynthia’s story is not uncommon, but tens of thousands of students are finding they just can’t do it.

Research from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center that tracks college enrollment data shows first time student enrollment is by far the biggest decline of any student group this year from last, down 22.7% at community colleges nationwide.

On average, enrollment across the Los Angeles Community Colleges District declined by about 10% this Fall, which boils down to 30,000 fewer students.

"It does get hard," Saavedra said. "There’s days when I’m like 'how am I doing this, it’s too much.' There’s times that I feel down, I get stressed out and I’m just like, I want to give up.”

Then Cynthia says she sees her son and can envision her future with him.

“I want to prove people wrong and not just for them but for myself," she finished.

With little sleep and a lot of time management, students succeeding this year say they’re more determined than ever.