Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcos Montes.
Hi Marcos, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Southern California College Access Network this past summer decided to launch a brand new virtual hub of information and resources to support any student with college aspirations. Let’s Go to College California (Let’s Go) is a student-led virtual hub that prioritizes student-needs during COVID-19 and promotes resources to support them on their journey to pursue higher education in California. COVID-19 caused students, families, individuals and businesses to shift from what was normal and comfortable to a new way of learning, working, and living. As a college access and success network, we recognize that within the communities we serve, many students are feeling the gaps in educational equity widen as they move forward navigating college. We launched Let’s Go as a virtual hub to connect students with like-minded students, support systems, and resources to inspire them to continue pursuing their college dreams. Let’s Go supports students based on their lived experiences, concerns and life aspirations. We provide information and support in the areas of applying to college, paying for college, online learning, and mental health & self-care.
We are a growing online community connected through social media and virtual workshops that helps students get information they need and find resources. We focus on students across all public higher education systems and particularly on the needs of underrepresented students, including those from low-income families, first-generation college-goers, communities of color and undocumented immigrants. Up to date thousands of students are engaging with our website and social media content. We have provided information and resources for students who are graduating college next spring and are in the midst of the college application season, connected undocumented students with scholarships they are eligible for. and curated resources to help students connect with food resources such as food banks and Cal-Fresh. We have also hosted workshops to support student’s mental health and practice self-care. Our work is just starting and we are striving to continue being a resource and support system to college students during pivotal moments of their college journey all the way to graduation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
These are very difficult times for everyone. While there are very important issues that are surfacing such as housing, food security, job security, we are working to keep the doors open of higher-education for thousands of students across the state. We want people to know that higher education is still a viable option and that it will create opportunities in the future for those who want to pursue a college degree or credential. Our goal is to make students feel motivated, focused, and supported. We are connecting students to resources such as financial aid programs, scholarships, online learning tips, and mental health and self-care support to keep them going. We understand people are having to make very difficult decisions right now. Students might be forced to take time off school because maybe online learning is not a suitable learning option for them, or because they need to financially support their families due to the loss of income, but we want to provide information and resources to ensure that students are making informed decisions. In addition, in a socially distant environment, it has been a challenge to feel connected. Students are not on campus and therefore they are unable to network and socialize with their peers. It has even posed a challenge for us to connect with students and get the word out about our virtual hub. That is why our work consists of multiple components, such as a website, social media accounts, email newsletter, texting hotline, and virtual workshops, to make people feel connected and build community.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Formed in 2005, the Southern California College Access Network (SoCan CAN) is a network of over 100 organizations working to promote a college-going and completion culture in Southern California. Our mission is to increase the rate at which students from underserved communities access and complete post-secondary education. We convene these organizations to learn, collaborate and advocate on behalf of more than 150,000 students and families across the Southern California region.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Everyday in our work at Let’s Go we see the perseverance and resilience of students reaching for the dream of a college education, even in the midst of a global pandemic millions of students are refusing to give up and are continuing with their education despite all the challenges being presented to them. Students serve as an inspiration for our work and that’s why we decided to put them in the driver’s seat of our project. Let’s Go To College CA is a student-led effort. A group of marvelous students are in the driver seat of this project. As current students, they have their fingers on the pulse knowing exactly what underrepresented students are going through today. Our students determine the content and priorities of our virtual hub. They get to make decisions on what type of content we provide to our student audience and what type of free virtual workshops we offer and have a team of higher education professionals supporting them. Our student staff are Ariana Lopez Torres, who attends Pasadena City College, Kimberly Fabian attending UCLA, and Monica Aguilera who attends CSU Dominguez Hills. All three of them are current students and are experiencing what millions of students are experiencing across the state, loss of learning, challenging learning environments, technology and internet issues, loss of income, and being away from campus. Yet, the three of them decided to be part of this brand new project because they wanted to support students, like themselves, make it to college graduation.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: letsgotocollegeca.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/gotocollegeca
- Facebook: facebook.com/gotocollegeca
- Twitter: twitter.com/gotocollegeca
