And he wasn't the only one finding out the past was not so far behind.
One day two weeks before the midterm, English professor Nichole Webster looked over her classroom at Community College of Philadelphia and saw a broken circle.
"We're a little short today," she mused aloud.
That day, only 14 of the 20 seats were filled.
The week before, some of the students talked about pushing aside the chairs of the classmates who were straying or even giving up. Those chairs were a distraction they didn't want or need. They had called themselves the Twenty Degrees, but now they weren't so sure.
"It's easier for people to look down on their work and not participate," said Kandice Davies, a determined 19-year-old who had not missed a day.
Andre, Kandice and their classmates were students in Gateway to College, a scholarship program that gives a select group of high school dropouts the opportunity to earn diplomas and college credits at the same time.
For these students, the empty chairs were personal. They all had known failure. Many had tried to make a go of it at multiple high schools and programs. Some had even attended competitive magnet schools such as Central and Girls High. Many of them had been able students who lost their way in school, in life or in both.
"What the world needs to know is these are not stupid kids. These are not bad kids. They're not disposable," said Bryan Sieber, academic coordinator for the Twenty Degrees, one of two classes of 20 that started in Gateway last fall. "These kids have hopes and dreams, and they're intelligent. Given another start in life, who knows where they'd be right now?"
