Before the COVID-19 global pandemic struck, Paloma Martinez and Devyn Trader each had a good idea of where they wanted to go to college. Yet like many students, COVID-19 made them rethink their priorities. The two changed their plans and now say they are excited to attend Montgomery County Community College online this fall.

“After a lot of back and forth I decided to go to Montco, and I don’t see myself going anywhere else for now,” said Martinez. “I love the idea that Montco is going virtual and taking the right precautions to keep everyone safe.”

“It was the smartest idea to come to Montco,” said Trader.

The two women share similar stories of how the trajectory of their lives changed dramatically after COVID-19.

Trader, 18, of Oreland, initially wanted to pack her bags and head west to a four-year school in Hawaii. 

“I was interested in (the four-year school) for a long time and decided to apply,” said the Springfield High School graduate. “Then Corona put it into perspective. It was way too expensive, very far and not online.”

Martinez, 18, from Norristown, likewise, had a similar dilemma with a four-year school in Pennsylvania. Two years ago, she had visited the school’s campus and taken classes there for a week during the summer, as part of a program through her alma mater, Norristown Area High School.

“It was really fun,” she said. “I got to meet current students and attend classes there during the summer. It was always a possibility. It was a small campus. I already knew my way around. It was a perfect idea and was on my list. I applied and got accepted.”

Yet Martinez said the decision to change schools came due to her health.

“Everyone was scared. We haven’t lived through a time like this. My family was scared,” she said of the pandemic. “I suffer from asthma, so it was a higher possibility of getting COVID-19.”

Living on campus in a dormitory, which she planned to do at first, suddenly seemed like too high of a risk.

Meanwhile, her older sister, Alondra, was already studying to become a dental hygienist at MCCC. So Martinez decided it would be smart to apply there, too. She had - visited Central Campus in Blue Bell before with her sister and felt comfortable applying there herself.

“Alondra was very excited when I told her I was going,” she said.

For Trader, choosing MCCC was the better choice for long-term goals, she said. She wants to eventually to study planetary science.

“When I was little, my dad and I would watch shows about space,” she said. “It was so interesting. When I was in high school, I took planetary science. There’s so much to learn and it’s a mystery. It’s so fun.”

She discovered MCCC offered her a path toward her passion. At MCCC, a counselor explained to her the Physical Sciences program would dovetail nicely into a planetary science program at a transfer school. The school in Hawaii didn’t have a program that would fit her needs.

There were other factors in her decision to choose MCCC as well, she said.

“My mom went to Montco; my brother is currently going there,” she said. “They had such great things to say about it. The classes are affordable and easy to schedule. When I was on campus, I went for a tour and the campus was easy to navigate. It was an easy option and it looked great.”

Both Martinez and Trader say they don’t regret their choices at all.

“I feel I made the right decision,” said Trader. “Yeah.”