Julia Barajas
I explore how college students achieve their goals — whether they’re fresh out of high school, or going back for the first time in years — and what support they get along the way.
My exposure to college began when I was a high school senior. In all my years of schooling, I’d never been assigned anything written by a person of Mexican descent, despite growing up in L.A. County. So when a brochure for East Los Angeles College appeared in my family’s mailbox, I tried out dual enrollment, and took an introductory Chicano Literature course. We read everything from Tomás Rivera’s “... And the Earth Did Not Devour Him” to Bernice Zamora’s “Notes from a Chicana ‘COED.’” And what I learned there — about writing, about history, and about myself — stayed with me. It informed my decision to major in literature and Latin American studies when I went on to earn a four-year degree, and it continues to shape the work I do now.
My hope is that all college students will get a similar chance to chart a course for themselves, guided by their own curiosities and ambitions.
-
When President Donald Trump took office in January, nearly two dozen states allowed their respective undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition. That number is quickly diminishing. -
The settlement will be divided up among tens of thousands of residents.
-
The budget gap has led to a tuition hike, along with spending cuts and fewer course offerings. At the same time, generative AI already has transformed higher ed — including post-grad job prospects.
-
To continue making the teaching profession more accessible to candidates from historically excluded groups, experts provide recommendations for policymakers at the state and federal level.
-
Critics say the cash-strapped system misspent millions of dollars getting upgraded accounts for all students. CSU leaders insist they're needed to meet a changing economy.
-
Gov. Newsom, Cal State and the California Community Colleges system signed multiple agreements with California's tech giants.
-
Million dollar settlements to regain federal funding? Rising tuition, but layoffs and course cuts? We're here to help.
-
Public health experts say sustained exposure to ethylene oxide increases the risk of various cancers.
-
Indiscriminate raids. Removal of U.S. citizens. Pressure to leave the country. For UC Irvine professor and evolutionary biologist Adriana Darielle Mejía Briscoe, the answer is yes.
-
Most schools are relying on existing policies that allow for individual accommodations. But some are also tapping into lessons from the pandemic.
