BAKERFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield College faculty, students, and staff gathered at an Umoja check presentation to talk about student involvement to benefit the community.
- Building Healthy Communities presented a $10,000 check to Bakersfield College's Umoja Community ASTEP program.
- Dr. Paula Parks has coordinated the Umoja program since 2015 and emphasized the importance of financial support.
- The grant will help students access trips, books, and other resources essential for their academic success.
- A panel discussion highlighted the importance of community involvement and how students can benefit from networking.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
BC Faculty, students, and staff gathered at an Umoja check presentation to talk about student involvement to benefit the community.
Professor Paula Parks has taught English at Bakersfield College since 2001 and has been the coordinator of the Umoja program since 2015. Parks started as a club adviser in 2017 with the mission to provide students who don't have the financial means to extend their academic resources beyond a 2-year college. "Students need to see the next step; they need to be able to picture themselves on the college campus." The program helps retain and allow Black students to graduate beyond community college. This year, it didn't receive the funding it usually gets from Bakersfield College. "This year, they're not going to support that, and so funding can come from this grant."
The program received $10,000 in funding from Building Healthy Community during a check presentation after Patrick Jackson and Reyna Olagues discussed how African American students can access resources and network within the community to help them expand their reach outside of Bakersfield but also within the community.
This funding allows her students to continue to have access to trips, books, and college resources. One student tells me having access to the resources from the program helped him through his academic journey. "Every student, every person has financial and personal limits; not every student can go to every event that costs money."
Dr. Parks tells me that she wants to continue student's success with the goal to take her students to four-year colleges and universities and HBCU's.
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