Why Community College Can Be a Top Choice

When pursuing a college and career path, there’s an array of higher education options to choose from, but for many students like Max Gonzalez, the choice was simple. He needed an option he could afford, support with essential resources, and exposure to the professional world, so he chose a community college.

Max enrolled in Los Angeles City College (LACC) not because community college was his last alternative, as perceived by many, but because he believed community college was the best option for him in many ways. He shared that at LACC he receives the support he needs to be focused on reaching his educational goals.

“Some believe community college is not the ideal way to go because society normalized that university is the only way to go, but that is not true,” Gonzalez said during a student panel discussion that he was part of at the Way2Success Community College Resource Fair last September. The event brought together over 200 community college and high school seniors eager to find their pathway to success.

“Community college has helped me in many ways, for example, financially, through EOPS, which is a program that helps students who are low-income with book vouchers, and meal vouchers. That helped me a lot to be independent, taking care of my rent,” Max said.

The Extended Opportunity Program & Services (EOPS) is a state-funded supplemental program that assists students challenged by language, economic, and educational disadvantages. The program provides services to facilitate the successful completion of their academic goals.

Brenda Brown, Student Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator at LACC, said community colleges offer opportunities to attain a college education despite economic barriers, especially with inflation and the soaring cost of living in Los Angeles.

“Community college offers college education, potentially for free, and also resources for books, Metro passes, food, and housing resources. Our students have multiple challenges depending on where they’re coming from, and there are communities within the community college that they can get involved with that will help support them,” Brown said at last year’s event.

California Community Colleges (CCC) offer courses for $46 per unit for in-state students, which according to the CCC, is the lowest in the country. The California College Promise Grant also waives fees for almost half of students. In comparison, UC students pay an average of $38,436 a year, and CSU students pay $7,176 in tuition for more than six units and $4,164 for six or fewer units.

United Way of Greater L.A. partnered with LACC and Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) for the launch of the Way2Success and the Mentorship Program because these two institutions wanted to help their students find the same opportunities students at the UC and CSU system have access to such as internships and professional mentorship on top of academic support.

“This partnership is important because it exemplifies what’s needed in today’s higher education system. The mentorship and internship project exposes our students to industry practices and connects them with corporate America, making their education relevant,” Dr. Chito Cajayon, Dean of Adult Education at LATTC, said.

Partnerships with organizations and the local business community give community college students access to internships and other work-based learning opportunities and are essential to ensure those opportunities. “These initiatives increase the chances of the students entering the workforce,” Cajayon noted.

Christie Dam, LATTC Professor & Program Coordinator of the Cooperative Work Experience Education, highlighted the importance of our partnership with the Mentorship Program. “Having that industry mentorship and having people who are working in the field to provide students with a current snapshot of what’s going on in the real world, that is essential to their success.”

The Way2Success Resource Fair and the Mentorship Program are part of United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Community College Success Initiative (CCSI) aimed to help students find essential resources such as housing and food assistance and overcome the barriers that prevent them from completing their higher education transferring or graduating process. Both programs, along with the Student Success Fund, have the main goal of doubling the transfer and graduation rates for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students.

Max Gonzales speaking at the 2023 Way2Success Community College Resource Fair.

Max plans to transfer to a university and graduate from a nursing school. “I’m glad I have those options because of the great resources and help that I’ve gotten at LACC. I am a proud community college student,” he said. He encouraged other students to consider community college as a top choice and feel proud of that decision.

A college degree has economic benefits across all demographic groups. Average earnings for full-time, year-round workers for each of the largest racial/ethnic groups in the state are about twice as high for college graduates as for high school graduates. Community colleges offer that opportunity to everyone, and we feel so proud to support these institutions and their students to succeed. Their success is crucial to the prosperity of our region.

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You can explore ways to contribute to our Community College Success Initiative here.

We are hosting our second annual Way2Success Resource Fair in partnership with LBCC on October 11, 2024. More details to come. Do not miss it!

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