The Importance of Funding for Community Colleges

By: Jennifer Santanero

After attending public school from Kindergarten through 12th grade, I had the hope of attending a 4-year university to pursue my professional goals. However, given the challenges during my last year of high school, I was unable to attend a 4 year-institution, which ended up leading me to attend my local community college for two years. Hearing the stigma around community college while I was growing up, I was afraid of being left behind and never being able to succeed like my peers. It turned out that such preconceptions were proven false as I began my time in Community College; however, this experience isn't true for all students who attend community college, as attending a 4-year university isn't feasible for all students. In fact, at my community college, out of the 21,000 students attending, only 418 students applied to a University of California campus, with only 215 enrolling in the 2024 academic year. This is why it is important to provide adequate resources for students to continue pursuing higher education.

For many students like me, attending a community college was not our only priority. We had part-time jobs, cared for our family members, and faced financial barriers, all while trying to find the time to commit to education. While juggling all these barriers, it can be nearly impossible for a student to dedicate their time to looking into beginning their transfer journey. As I began to continue my journey in higher education, I was confused and didn't know where to begin. This was until a counselor from the Transfer Center came into our classroom to discuss the resources that are offered at the Transfer Center. As an eager 17-year-old ready to leave my hometown and attend my dream school, I began attending the transfer office frequently and ended up getting a job as a transfer ambassador. Despite only being a student staff member, I was able to help students access the resources provided by the Transfer Center as the recent college application season approached. In addition to providing in-person services, I also helped make resources like CSU and UC demos available online for students to access in their spare time. Access to funding for resources like the transfer center and counselors are beneficial for Community College students. The resources I was able to access should be available to all students. Without the help from the Transfer Center at my Community College, I would not be attending my dream school, UC Berkeley.