[Pic Inside] Class of 2022 Grad

July 11, 2022 | by information

Saniyah Barthelemy, 18: ‘I made it through COVID. I can make it through anything.’

Before the pandemic, Saniyah Barthelemy said she was thinking about attending college online — then her high school went virtual in March 2020.

“I was like, ‘Nope, this is not for me,’” she said. “I need to be in person with a teacher in front of me. That’s probably the only thing I’m grateful for — the pandemic giving me that experience before [college].”

Barthelemy, a recent graduate of New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School (Sci High), plans to pursue a career in social work and will be taking classes at the Southern University of New Orleans starting this fall.

“The fact that I have the power to make a change no matter how small, that’s something that’s really big for me,” she said.

While she’s scared to see what this next chapter brings, completing high school during a global pandemic has given her a sense of confidence.

“I made it through COVID. I can make it through anything."

Source: https://www.wwno.org/education/2022-06-08/6-new-orleans-graduates-on-how-the-pandemic-changed-them-and-what-comes-next