Jacinta Gasperich

Student

Bay College freshman Jacinta Gasperich, who is majoring in art and design, is on track to successfully graduate from Bay in the future – with some assistance from her friends, along with people working at the college.

Jacinta graduated from Gladstone Area High School in 2014. She tried to go to college after graduating from high school, but she said she didn’t continue at that point because she felt “overwhelmed.”

“My social skills were not the best at the time – I was very shy. I still am, but I think I’ve improved a lot,” she said.

Over the next few years, Jacinta became more comfortable talking to people while working in various jobs.

Jacinta started taking classes at Bay during the fall 2018 semester. She noted her decision to go there was partially made in response to people in her life saying she wouldn’t be able to succeed in college.

“I got so tired of all their negativity … (I) said ‘you know what? I’m going to do it, and I’m going to prove you wrong,’” she said.

As she is balancing her college education with her job, Jacinta is currently taking classes on a part-time basis. She chose her current major because of her lifelong interest in art.

“When I was growing up, I was always into drawing and making figures,” she said.

Since the fall 2018 semester began, Jacinta’s academic pursuits have been going well on the whole.

“I’m passing all the classes, actually,” she said.

One of the highlights of Jacinta’s college experience has been the opportunity it has given her to make new friends.

“Meeting a lot of new people was nice,” she said.

She has also had a number of positive interactions with staff and faculty members at the college over the past few years.

“Dave (Laur, Director of Student Life) was one that helped a lot,” Jacinta said.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Bay’s increased emphasis on online learning has caused some problems for Jacinta in 2020 – mostly related to computer issues. However, she has been able to get around these problems with the help of her friends.

“My friends really helped out throughout COVID,” she said.

Since she is a part-time student, Jacinta is not yet sure when she will graduate from Bay College. She has been “looking around” at colleges to transfer to once she earns her associate degree at Bay.