During the pandemic, you weren't really engaging with anyone besides your family.

When I first came to campus, at least as a freshman, it's like a ghost town, right?

People walking around, social distancing.

It was really frustrating to just start a connection with someone here.

Adriana Banda, Carson Fajardo, and Maribel Gamez-Reyez are among the thousands of college students across California who grappled with transitioning to college during the pandemic.

Five years after COVID shut down most California high schools, today's college students describe a difficult transition to adulthood, marked by fear, loss, and lack of preparation.

Those challenges were magnified in the Inland Empire, where only about a quarter of all adults hold four-year degree compared to 37% statewide.

Banda said she struggled when she enrolled at Cal State San Bernardino's Palm Desert campus.

It was difficult learning again, especially when professors here expected you to already know things.

I don't think a lot of professors kept in mind the fact that we just lost a whole year and a half where we weren't getting taught to the level we should have.

Despite the odds, Fajardo, Gomez-Reyes, and Banda have been able to thrive.

Fajardo, who graduated from Cal State San Bernardino last May, plans to pursue a master's degree and a career in non-profit fundraising.

Gamez-Reyez found her niche at her college newspaper.

I was encouraged to come in here to write as a contributing writer.

That helped a lot just to get to know other people here.

Banda is now set to graduate in spring 2026 and plans to pursue a master's degree and a career as a hospital social worker.

She said the tough lessons of the pandemic will guide her work.

The fact that I can do things myself and get it done despite these adversities, I think that's what it taught me the most.

For CalMatters, I'm Deborah Brennan.