For 13 years, Aliya Vance has worked as a public safety officer and dispatcher at La Salle University with what’s been a lifelong mission: helping others. Now, she has another La Salle title, too: graduate.

Vance is among 7.4 million students 25 years or older attending the nation’s colleges and universities. Being an older student comes with its own set of challenges, as many of today's students must balance school, family, and jobs. 

Maria and Jennifer Salvador start their days before the sun. The teenagers report to work at an Oxnard strawberry farm with one goal: to harvest as many bright-red strawberries as they can. Each 20-pound box of stemless strawberries they collect brings in $3.

When the coronavirus pandemic interrupted education across the state of California, and classes shifted online, many students went to work in the fields to help support their families. Advocates worry they're falling behind.