IN THE NEWS
Unlike AmeriCorps, the California Service Plan Benefits Residents and the Undocumented
by Gabby Birenbaum
November 18, 2022
Wendi Lizola was struggling.
The Sacramento State University student had difficulty paying her rent during her freshman year. Lizola grew up in Modesto, the city of a quarter million in the heart of California’s agriculturally rich central valley, an hour’s drive from Sacramento, but the pre-nursing student was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and is undocumented.
Although her two older sisters are among the so-called Dreamers, which means they have work permits, Lizola was only 14 the last time the federal DACA program (Deferred Action for Children Arrivals) accepted applications, making her ineligible for its benefits. As an undocumented college student, she could not find a job, much less a meaningful experience for her résumé.
But relief came in the form of a referral from her older sisters, who had heard of a new statewide program, CollegeCorps, which provides California’s postsecondary students financial aid in exchange for community service. Lizola was thrilled when she learned that undocumented students could join the program. She applied in May, was accepted, and is now in her second year at “Sac State.” Lizola even earns credits for tutoring math three times a week at a local middle school. In exchange, the state of California wrote her a check for $10,000, meeting her housing costs and giving the aspiring pediatric nurse invaluable experience working with kids. “I was nervous about it because I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s middle school students—they’re brutal,’” she recalls. “But surprisingly, I love it!”
Recent In the News posts
NYTimes: California Begins Service Program for College Students
IN THE NEWS NYTimes: California Begins Service Program for College Students By Soumya Karlamangla, New York TimesDecember 20, 2022 Students receive $10,000 from the state to pay tuition and living expenses in exchange for 450 hours of community...
College Corps could be the model for higher education America desperately needs
IN THE NEWS College Corps could be the model for higher education America desperately needsBy Gavin Newsom, Governor of CaliforniaNovember 12, 2022 - USA Today Today, our country appears more divided than ever. College Corps is an antidote to this crisis...
UCI hosts launch event to swear in the first #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellows
IN THE NEWS UCI hosts launch event to swear in the first #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellows October 4, 2022 - UCI News EVENT: UCI will join higher education leaders and more than 3,000 students in a statewide launch and virtual swearing-in...
Chief service officer to swear in first #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellows
IN THE NEWS Chief service officer to swear in first #CaliforniansForAll College Corps Fellows By Lisa Bell - October 4th, 2022 - Fresno State News California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday will join higher education leaders and more than 3,000 students...
Gavin Newsom said this little-known program makes him ‘more proud … than anything’ else he’s done
IN THE NEWS Gavin Newsom said this little-known program makes him ‘more proud ... than anything’ else he’s done October 2, 2022 — SF Chronicle Gavin Newsom notched big legislative wins recently on abortion rights, housing construction and climate change...