Within Reach: Santa Barbara City College Brings Its First Resource Fair to St. Vincent’s
Summary
On October 1, Santa Barbara City College brought its departments to our Goleta campus rather than asking residents to come to the Mesa. About 50 people attended. Three signed up for GED classes, and one senior resident will start art class alongside her granddaughter.
On October 1, Santa Barbara City College held its first-ever resource fair on our Calle Real campus in Goleta, and we were proud to host it. Isis Castañeda, Founder and Director of Creating Connections, brought the two together. Instead of asking our residents to find their way to the Mesa, SBCC brought its departments to them.
Why the Location Mattered
Many of the people we serve are seniors with limited mobility, or working mothers juggling jobs and children. Their days are taken up with the basics: a safe home, food on the table, caring for family. Enrolling in college is not usually the thing that rises to the top of that list, and a campus across town is one more trip to figure out.
Susana Ortega, our program manager of Unsheltered Services, Enhanced Care Management, and Community Support, put it simply. Holding the fair here made education “something that’s in their reach.”
What Happened That Evening
About 50 community members spent the late afternoon and evening meeting with college representatives and learning about programs that help with child care, supplies, food, and financial aid, including support for students affected by the justice system.
Three residents signed up for classes toward their GED. Many more asked about certificate and associate degree programs. Four mothers from our Family Strengthening Program connected with additional SBCC programs: two will begin classes in the spring, and two who are already enrolled this semester are adding programs for extra support.
And one of our senior residents enrolled in a free art class. She and her granddaughter will both be SBCC students this term.
The People Who Made It Happen
Our thanks to Isis Castañeda and Creating Connections, whose partnership made this possible, and to Angelica Contreras, SBCC’s Senior Director of Admissions and Records and Dual Enrollment, who sat with residents and walked them through those first steps.
Thank you to Santa Barbara City College for meeting our community where it lives, and to the Santa Barbara Independent for covering the evening.
We are already talking with SBCC and Creating Connections about what comes next.