Our Class of 2025 Scholars in Action kicked off their day at the Capitol in April with a private tour of the Capitol building, arranged by Senator Josh Becker’s office. After that fun and informative experience, they visited the offices of the California Community Colleges Chancellor (CCCCO), where they had a meeting with Deputy Chancellor Dr. Rowena Tomaneng. Then they returned to the Capitol for a meeting with the CCCCO’s government relations team, during which the students shared their powerful, personal stories to magnify their advocacy for additional funding for the CCCCO’s Rising Scholars Network in the state budget.
“I used to be a statistic of the school to prison pipeline, but now I’m not a statistic; I’m the living, breathing, powerful example of the college futures pipeline. I have a college degree, I’m going to go to graduate school, and I have positions in leadership that focus on the full circle of uplifting the next generation to have a successful future with access to college instead of a cycle of incarceration. I am breaking cycles of trauma and building futures of hope.” – Yefry Mata Diaz, Scholar in Action, Class of 2025 and 2024
Next on the agenda was a meeting with Senator Josh Becker and his staff, and the day concluded with an audience with Monica Henestroza, Special Assistant to Robert Rivas, Speaker of the California Assembly. She was truly enthralled by the students, their stories, and their persuasive advocacy that she believed could help move the needle for the case for additional funding for the Rising Scholars Network in the 2025-2026 state budget.
“Being a young person who was in the foster care system and juvenile justice system, I never had the opportunity to walk across a stage and participate in a graduation. Next week, when I graduate from my community college as a Rising Scholar, will be the first time in my life I get to walk across the stage and accept a diploma that I have worked so hard for. It’s the biggest accomplishment of my life. And it wouldn’t have been possible without programs like Rising Scholars and my leadership community at Youth Law Center.” – Jasmine Green, Scholar in Action, Class of 2024
