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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A closed-loop system aims to empower, not replace, professors in subjects including literature and physics. And it appears to be improving student outcomes too. -
Pierce College students made use of the skills they honed in class to help hundreds of large, stressed-out animals.
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Santa Monica College is hosting a distribution event this week to provide free essentials to those who’ve been affected by local fires.
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Undocumented immigrants and mixed-status families are learning how to assert themselves — and prepare for worst-case scenarios.
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Students in L.A. and Ventura counties will get more time to apply.
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Newsom has signed an executive order meant to help students who’ve been displaced by the recent fires.
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As first responders work to put out the Palisades and Eaton fires, colleges across Greater L.A. have set up relief funds to provide support for students, faculty, and staff.
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Santa Monica College will hold a donation drive to gather aid for students, employees, and other community members who’ve been affected by recent fires.
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At an upcoming exhibition hosted by Cal State Long Beach, Greater L.A.’s next generation of artists are honing their skills and building community.
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The LAist education team this year worked to bring nuance to difficulties the state faces, and shine a light on solutions that can fly under the radar. Here's some of what we learned along the way.
