SSanta Barbara City College’s (SBCC) main campus sits perched on the coast of central California across from the beach and just a 10-minute drive to downtown Santa Barbara. Founded in 1909, it is one of the oldest California Community Colleges, and today it is designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution. SBCC serves over 17,000 full-time students at its three campuses.
President Dr. Kindred Murillo and part of her team hosted me during my visit and introduced me to the vibrant main campus with expansive views of the beaches and water of the Pacific Ocean. The feel of the campus is intentionally coastal and historic, and during the visit, we were warmly greeted by a former college athlete who graduated from the college nearly three decades prior.
Academic quality and student success are hallmarks of the College and SBCC was thrilled to celebrate the recent grand opening of the SBCC Dream Center as part of their action and participation in the California Community College Chancellor’s Office 2022 Undocumented Student Action Week (USAW). The Dream Center is a space where undocumented students can receive legal assistance, academic assistance, financial assistance, access to community resources and more.
ACCJC looks forward to learning more about the SBCC Dream Center and following its impact on the students it serves. Please enjoy below SBCC’s discussion of what the Dream Center means to their community.
Santa Barbara City College hosted the grand opening celebration of the SBCC Dream Center on its main campus (721 Cliff Dr.) on Wednesday, October 19. The Dream Center is a bilingual (English/Spanish) resource for all undocumented and mixed status students in need of legal support, academic guidance, advocacy, mental health resources and a space for belonging on campus.
Roxane M. Byrne, Coordinator of Equity, Diversity, and Cultural Competency, captured the importance of the center when she said, “navigating college is a challenge for many students and undocumented students face even more complex legal, academic, career and life hurdles. SBCC is committed to supporting undocumented students as they develop into the next generation of entrepreneurs, teachers, scientists, artists and leaders in our community. The Dream Center is a resource for all undocumented and mixed status students in need of legal support, academic guidance, advocacy and a space for belonging on campus”.
The grand opening celebration treated attendees to live mariachi music, free food, and opportunities to paint calavera masks or write letters of support to undocumented students or “Dreamers.” The Dream Center’s opening was one of a number of events at the college recognizing California Community Colleges system-wide Undocumented Student Week of Action, October 17-20.
Leslie Marín Juarez is the Director of the SBCC Dream Center. As a first-generation dreamer and former SBCC student, she has firsthand experience she utilizes in her work and in support of undocumented students. “I want the Dream Center to represent everything I needed as an undocumented student. A designated safe place where I could ask questions and get guidance from a mentor who not only understands my lived experience but will also help guide me along the way. They can take everything from us but never our education,” said Juarez.
Photos include Roxane M. Byrne, Coordinator of Equity, Diversity, and Cultural Competency; Leslie Marín Juarez, Director of the SBCC Dream Center; and various scenes from the Grand Opening celebration of the SBCC Dream Center.
Students have been accessing the services and support available at the center since its opening. The Channels, SBCC’s student-run online newspaper, reported that Ms. Juarez handled more than 60 cases in the center’s first four weeks of operations. An SBCC and Dream Center student described what the center means to them when they said, “I woke up today not feeling my best but something told me I needed to come here. I am sure others can agree some days are harder than others and today was one of those days. When I come in here I feel safe and calm. I am glad I made the decision to leave my house and come here. I know I am a long way from my birthplace but I get a sense of my culture that I feel I am missing in the Dream Center” (translated from Spanish).
The Dream Center is part of SBCC’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Cultural Competency and is located within the Center for Equity and Social Justice (CESJ) in the Campus Center. It is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The college has received tremendous recognition for its efforts in opening the Dream Center and supporting undocumented students and the greater Santa Barbara region in a deeply impactful way. If you haven’t already done so, check out some of the coverage:
KEYT (local broadcast event coverage)
KEYT (local broadcast follow up feature)
Noozhawk (online news outlet)
Santa Barbara Independent (online)
KCLU (local NPR affiliate radio story)
To learn more about Santa Barbara City College, visit their website at https://www.sbcc.edu/.
