School is for learning. It's not the old ones who ask questions in class, but the smart, curious ones. I can't imagine why Dembling had so much trouble fitting in at her local community college.
College is for learning.
The shallowness displayed by Dembling had no other effect than to damage her own education and prove she was exactly like all of the other students sitting in class. She's not going to hang out with them. I see her decision to stop asking questions in class as particularly idiotic, as she could be making herself a positive example of a motivated, intellectually curious learner for all of those other students whom she looks down upon. Instead, she decides to pull herself back to their level and regrets that she's invisible now. I prefer to excel in my studio classes and help inspire my fellow students to excel as well, showing them what they're capable of achieving if they put in the effort.