Julia Barajas
I was raised in the city of South Gate.
When I was 12, I started getting bussed out to schools in the South Bay, an experience that gave me early exposure to the vast educational inequities among zip codes in L.A. County.
I came to journalism after working in education. Some of my former students are now in college and bring me to tears when they share photos of their accomplishments. I know that college can transform lives. But I also know that it can serve to uphold existing systems of power.
My focus is on how students navigate obstacles that come their way, with an emphasis on those who’ve been historically excluded from higher education. This includes students who’ll be the first in their families to earn a degree; DACA and Pell Grant recipients; students who are parents; Black and Latino men; BIPOC and women in STEM; and incarcerated students.
I’ll also be looking closely at what’s happening inside professional and graduate schools to see how we’re creating our next generation of teachers, principals, doctors, lawyers, historians, etc. Accountability is central to my reporting, but I’m equally interested in learning about programs and policies that work.
When I’m not reporting, I’m often dancing or reading books and magazines that I get in Mexico City. I’m also prone to talking to strangers about their student loans.
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The U.S. Department of Educations plans to lift the ban in July 2023. -
Colleges have resources available to those who are no longer incarcerated and want a degree. And there are often people eager to help.
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Given the sexual harassment scandal that recently toppled the CSU’s chancellor and the upcoming Supreme Court decision poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, faculty say the closures are "pretty scary — and symbolic.”
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Across California, student workers are rallying against what they describe as unfair labor conditions.
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A mother of two, Paty Lozano is also a student at Santa Monica College, and she’s still figuring out how to make time for herself.
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Some faculty from Cal State Domínguez Hills say their promised back pay falls short and bonuses are missing.
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How accessible are caps, gowns, stoles, hoods and tams? It all depends on where you study.
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Two plaintiffs are seeking damages on behalf of about 600 other part-time faculty members they say didn't get paid for work outside the classroom.
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A comprehensive undergraduate education for incarcerated women is rare, especially past an associate’s degree.
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The university system is part of a growing number of institutions rethinking their admissions criteria.
