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Julia Barajas
What I cover
My reporting encompasses everything from research universities to community colleges, with an emphasis on students who’ve been historically excluded from higher education. I focus on issues that could affect students’ learning conditions and post-grad opportunities. This includes new programs and teaching methods; the spread of generative AI; labor disputes; disciplinary proceedings; and access to financial aid. I also highlight campus resources and events that are open to the broader community.
My background
Up until 12th grade, I was never assigned anything written by a person of Mexican descent, despite growing up in L.A. County, where Latinos make up nearly half of the population. So when a brochure for East Los Angeles College appeared in the mailbox, I tried out dual enrollment and took an introductory Chicano Literature course. Our class 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 bachelor’s degree, and it continues to shape the work I do now.
My goals
I aim to help all college students chart a course of success for themselves, guided by their own curiosities and ambitions.
Best way to reach me
If you’re worried or excited about something related to SoCal higher ed, I’d love to hear about it. You can reach out by email at jbarajas@laist.com. If you have a tip you'd like to share more privately, you can reach me on Signal. My username is @jbarajas.68. You can follow this link to reach me there or type my username in the search bar after starting a new chat.
Stories by Julia Barajas
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UC Irvine's teaching assistants, postdocs, and researchers are the latest to walk off the job in a dispute over the university's handling of campus protests.
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Student researchers, teaching assistants and post-docs at UCLA and UC Davis went on strike Tuesday, expanding a strike that began at UC Santa Cruz earlier in May.
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If a state agency says the University of California's academic workers can't stay on strike, "a whole cascade of bad things" could happen.
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The union that represents academic workers across the University of California system, has called on members at UCLA and UC Davis to join its strike on Tuesday, May 28.
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The stand-up strikes are meant to call attention to what members say are unfair labor practices.
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Among other demands, student workers and researchers want amnesty for students arrested over the past month.
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It currently costs $555 to renew the permit online and $605 to renew it by mail.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised plan reduces funding for key higher education programs.
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A new state report signals that the rates far exceed those at public universities.
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The museum has vowed to continue fighting for its possession of the ancient Greek statue.
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A facility in Vernon has reached a $400,000 settlement with air quality regulators.
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The sinkhole, a product of powerful winter storms, posed a serious safety risk.
