California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, recently announced that the state of California plans to fully reopen on June 15, including colleges and other large gatherings, while still requiring that people wear masks and recommending that they be vaccinated. California college students had varying thoughts on the pandemic and reopening, but all seemed ultimately happy for things to be getting back to normal.

When asked if she was looking forward to going back to school in person, BC student Gabriella Duey said there were some benefits to online classes but she is ultimately “ready for classes to be in person again.” Duey explained that she is trying to become a speech pathologist and “ASL classes are much more complicated online.”

Cal Poly student, Riley Muro, on the other hand said that she actually preferred online courses to in person ones. Muro used to have to walk to class which caused her to be late often. She said that attending classes online relieved her stress and she will “likely take more online classes in the future.”

Bakersfield College student, Jaidyn Lucero, was asked how they felt about the regulations that are to stay in place such as the mask mandate and the encouragement of getting the vaccine. Lucero explained that they wear their mask whenever they are out and that they already have the first dose of the vaccine as well. They said that they were “happy to do [their] part in getting things back to the way they were.” 

Emily Marsh who is a student at Cal State San Marcos, agreed with Lucero. She has been frequently wearing her mask and was also recently vaccinated. Marsh said that she “see[s] no issue with doing these simple steps to protect those who can’t, that are more vulnerable.”

Duey expressed how she was looking forward to going to concerts again. She explained that she bought tickets for a concert that was cancelled because of the pandemic, and she was hoping to be able to see “one of [her] favorite artists as soon as possible.”

Lucero said that they were looking forward to going to Disneyland and other amusement parks. Although most of the parks have been open for some time now, Lucero has not been able to attend yet and looks forward to doing so this summer.

Marsh said that if there was any benefit to the pandemic, it would be that it allowed her to spend more time with her loved ones. The combination of online school and l the state being shut down freed up a lot of her time, giving her more time to “hangout with friends and family” which the pandemic made her “a bit more appreciative for” because it “put everything into perspective.” 

Muro reiterated what she said about the convenience of online classes and agreed with Marsh in that it also made her “value time with [her] loved ones so much more.”