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.
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“We wanted a place to celebrate Black excellence, but we also wanted to look at our system from the inside out and figure out what we need to do to improve it,” said a former student trustee. -
The debate surrounding the burden of student debt has called the value of a college degree into question — especially in fields where economic security can be hard-won.
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The U.S. Department of Educations plans to lift the ban in July 2023.
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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.
