Ximena explores her initial apprehensions about finding a supportive Latinx community at UC Berkeley. Despite the university’s reputation for diversity, Latinx students still struggle to connect with others from similar backgrounds. Fortunately, Ximena has found a close-knit group of Latinx friends, yet now face a new challenge: the institution itself.

Anna discusses the crucial role of San Francisco’s City College Board in safeguarding City College’s programs, especially the essential Free City program, which offers free tuition to SF residents. She highlights recent board electees, particularly Alan Wong, a progressive advocate committed to protecting students from the impact of budget cuts. As a Free City graduate, Anna shares her firsthand experience of how this program helped her succeed and ultimately transfer to UC Berkeley. She emphasizes the need for leaders who prioritize students over political ambition, calling for continued investment in accessible education.

Ximena shares her mother’s teaching journey through her eyes; specifically the last five years of her career. Her mother was an educator of over 20 years, but had to step down to put her mental health first. She talks about the struggles of being a teacher, how it can take a toll on a human being, and how outsiders see teachers.

Academic communities should uplift diverse identities, but CA education systems face a lack of representation in their faculty.  It’s disheartening to see these institutions failing to uphold their own principles of racial diversity and equality.

Anna’s journey through San Francisco’s underfunded schools highlights the lack of resources that hindered her academic success. Despite these challenges, she advocated for herself, ultimately transferring to UC Berkeley, where she will graduate in Spring 2025

Ximena’s educational journey reveals the scarce resources in overcrowded schools in Soledad, where teachers often had to buy their own supplies. Her experience highlights the challenges of underfunded education and its lasting impact on preparedness for higher learning.

The reality that our public schools have to fight over resources, in turn pitting marginalized students against each other, is a massive byproduct of our criminally underfunded schools.

When we want our kids to get to higher education, we should invest in the support they need to get there—especially when it comes to college counselors.

The public schools we could provide our students… especially when it comes to mental health.

Feeling isolated and unprepared, Vivian calls for better support for first-gen students who deserve a fair shot in higher education!

Joining in the wake of the 2016 election, Rhys found a supportive community that sparked their passion for activism, and she highlights the resilience of JSA members now striving to create new opportunities for young people to engage in politics.

Delany candidly navigates her tough housing journey at UC Berkeley during the pandemic, tackling soaring rents and unfortunate living conditions

We all know that certain programs in public schools are obviously prioritized over others. This is a microcosm of our underfunded public school system—some schools are being prioritized over others.

It took over 25 teachers for me to not only feel supported, but also represented. With proper funding, I would’ve had less substitute teachers and more permanent teachers that weren’t leaving for a better paying school district or in most cases; a private school.

The public school system in California is in crisis, and everyone is suffering because of it. We NEED more public school funding, not only to improve our students’ education, but also to protect the health and safety of our students and teachers.

The SATs are an exam that only widens the inequities between students and keeps a billion dollar industry that thrives on this keeping this inequity alive for profit.

It’s a hard truth to hear that a student had her future trajectory positively impacted by switching OUT OF her local public high school

Throughout her time in elementary to high school, Vivian has experienced some of the worst effects of our underfunded schools—including having her school shut down.

Rhys’ public elementary school shut down and rebranded as a charter school. Read what our public schools have to do to keep students attending.

Tran just graduated from UC Berkeley, but her experience was everything but easy. Read he blog on navigating an institution that was not built to open access to low-income students of color and first generation students!