Maybe adcoms of elite colleges and large state schools have been conspiring to make community colleges look bad to get more people to apply to them so they can lower their acceptance rates and increase their selectivity and ranking. How’s that for a conspiracy theory?
Take some classes at a cc to increase your GPA. If you get a degree, your high school record may not be considered at all (it wouldn’t be in NYS). See which schools your local cc has articulation agreements with, then check their admission requirements for transfers.