Updates on our 2022 Cohort!
Our Class of 2022 Cohort graduated last year and has made it through their first semester of college. For this blog post, we’re spotlighting a few members from that cohort and finding out what they have been up to.
Marija Jovic
Marija Jovic graduated from Downtown Magnets High School and is now attending Northwestern University. Her classes were super interesting and her favorite one is her British Literature Class, where she read texts like Beowulf, the Canterbury Tales, Gulliver’s Travels, etc. Marija also learned about the political and social occasions shaping those perspectives. Another class she likes is her Gender Studies class, focusing on labor. According to Marija, “I can now start judging people’s family dynamics with an academic lens now, so that’s always fun.” For her extracurricular activities, she’s part of Stitch, the fashion magazine on her campus, where she enjoys the complete creative freedom to write the different aspects and intersections between media and fashion. Additionally, she’s been working on the radio on the Rock Show from 6:30 to 9 PM on Mondays, where she enjoys playing her favorite jams and listening to underground artists and Chicago bands.
Marija’s having a great college experience! According to her, “College has been such a cool experience! I’ve made a friend group who I instantly clicked with, and that’s honestly been such a blessing. Being able to find people that are just as annoying as I am over things like philosophy and politics is both a blessing and a curse. I’ve also really enjoyed being able to meet people from all around the globe! Besides that, living with a roommate has been great. I had my own room back at home, so I was worried about sharing my own space with someone else. But my roommate and I bonded really well, and it’s great having someone to keep me in check and also keep me company whenever I need it. Having a flexible class schedule has also been great because having full control over my time allows me to function without a weird 9-hour block in school every day.” Additionally, she can’t wait to explore more of the windy city!
Coco Li
Coco Li is also a Downtown Magnets High School graduate and is now attending UCLA. Because of the very fast pace of the quarter system, she finds it stressful but also fun and rewarding. In her experience, college is a very social place and everyone there’s super friendly. Because it’s still Coco’s freshman year, she enjoys the chance to take diverse courses and explore different career paths. Lastly, Coco enjoys the independence aspect you get to develop as a result of dorming and going to college.
Mery Phung
Mery graduated from Alhambra High School and is now attending UCSD. We asked her for some updates and this is what she has for us: “My name is Mery Phung. I am currently a first year at UCSD, majoring in human health psychology. My college experience started during the summer before move-in day. I decided to participate in a summer program for first-gen students to take summer classes before school started. I gained a wonderful mentor who is helping me navigate the campus. I am currently taking five classes; the one I enjoy the most is biology one. In this class, we discuss and learn in-depth about the cell. I spend most of my time in classes or going to the beach since it is a ten-minute walk from my dorm. The trolley on our campus makes it very convenient for students to travel off campus. My college campus is very diverse; I was able to meet many people from all parts of the world. I have attended many open meetings for student organizations, and I finally found a student organization I am interested in, an organization for pre-health students. I was hired for an on-campus job, and I am excited to see where this takes me. I am thankful for my 4S mentor and the 4SED program because, without her, I would not have been able to be here.”
We’re glad to hear back from our 4S 2022 Cohort! Congratulations on your accomplishments and great job on finishing your first semester of college.