Adela Gonzales and Xavier Navarro know firsthand the challenges that many of California's community college students encounter. Both relied on CalFresh as a way to combat food insecurity. Gonzales also received a housing grant while enrolled in college because she couldn’t afford her rent after a roommate moved out of their shared apartment.

Today, they are putting their experiences to work as student ambassadors—and helping to reduce the stigma around accessing basic needs services for other students.

Photo: Mikala Compton

As the new year rolled in, so, too, did Senate Bill 17—a state ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and initiatives at Texas public universities and colleges.

For months, Texas Students for DEI, one of the leading student groups against the bill, has been working to amplify and clarify the importance of DEI through research, stories, and data. The group has no plans to put its advocacy on pause.

When leaders at West Kentucky Community and Technical College learned there was a need for computer engineering technology professionals in the western part of the state, the college partnered with the University of Kentucky to create a new “2+2” program that would help fill that demand.

It’s an example of the kind of innovation that happens all the time as community college leaders use local workforce data to guide their programming. But getting good, reliable workforce data—and especially information about what former students are doing after they complete a degree or certification program—can be challenging.