It is because of the opportunities I have had thanks to higher education, and more specifically the CSU System, that make me so passionate about ensuring accessibility and affordability for others to attend college as well. I am completely certain that I would not be the well-rounded and positive person I am today if I had not gone to college.
That's why, since my freshman year, I have been a part of the Associated Students Club Lobby Corps. Our mission is to inform, educate, and involve students in the democratic process by effectively lobbying policy makers pertaining to higher education on behalf of the students at Sonoma State. As an Environmental Studies major, the classes I take don't always emphasize the power of change that can come from an elected politician. We learn about many cases in which environmental activists have battled our government to force responsibility of actions to be taken, but what about the cases in which they work alongside each other? I know that in order to implement the kind of progress and improvement that I want to achieve not only in environmental affairs but in all aspects of society, I need to understand the world of politics.
Every March, Lobby Corps travels to Sacramento to attend the California Higher Education Student Summit, which is followed by a huge day of lobbying at the Capitol. This year was the 20th Anniversary of the conference, and I was incredibly proud to be there. Student leaders from all over the California State University (CSU) System, whether they are members of their campus' Lobby Corps or hold a position in their Student Government, gather for two days to:
- share our experiences and struggles of being a student of the CSU
- participate in workshops that help us better understand the state budget and public higher education's place within it
- get training on how to effectively lobby to elected officials
For this year's 2015-2016 state budget, the CSU requested about $269 million dollars of funding which goes to everything from deferred maintenance to counseling across all 23 University campuses. However so far the Governor has only delegated $119.5 million to the CSU, which is quite a significantly lower proposal. We were at the Capitol to convince legislation that an addition of $97.1 million to the Governor's proposal is not just desired, but necessary in order to keep tuition at its current rate.
This year I was much more confident than I was the last time I had come to lobby. Whether it was because I had stayed up till 1:30AM practicing the night before, or because I knew the damage the lack of funding had caused to our own students of Sonoma, I was eager and ready to tell my story.
The day after the conference my colleagues and I went to the Capitol where we met with District 2 Senator Mike McGuire, District 10 Assemblymen Marc Levine, and District 2 Assemblymen Jim Wood. It was amazing to see how excited these elected officials were to have us there, and their friendly personalities made meeting them much less intimidating. Each session went incredibly well and I knew that I had made a lasting impression on all three officials.
What I really wanted to focus on during my time to speak with them was the relationship between diversity, accessibility and affordability. I am a first generation American; my father is from Laos and my mother is from France, and I am the first of my family to go to college. I am very proud to be putting our last name into the higher education system and I hope to be leading the way for my niece, nephews, and future children to see college as a possibility for themselves. However finding my way to college was not easy, and making sure I have enough financial aid and scholarship money is still vital to my enrollment. Almost 50% of the students that make it into the CSU System do not make it to graduation, and first generation Americans and first generation college students are extremely vulnerable. For many, the process of getting accepted into college isn't the sole challenge anymore. It is getting to the finish line that concerns me the most.
Last year a student told a story that made such an impact on my perspective that I decided to share it with the legislatures. This student happened to be our Diversity Senator for two years and is currently the Chair of our Senate. She said that when she had first started college she had four friends with her. They were all Latina, first generation Americans, and the first of their families to go to college. Now as she finishes her senior year she is the only one of them left. Every one of her friends left Sonoma because they simply could not afford to stay. This broke my heart because these were students who not only did the work in high school to get into a CSU, but they were trying to create a better future for themselves and their families. These students wanted to make a difference in their lives and in their communities even without financial stability or the experience of a family member, but they were pushed out of the higher education system because even after they got accepted their tuition was not set.
The lack of funding from the state cannot be put on the backs of students, or we begin to eliminate the possible leaders of our future society and economy. It is students like myself, and the Chair of the Senate, that make California one of the most diverse states in the country. Our State University System should reflect that, and support it.
This year's CHESS Conference was life-changing and I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to grow as both a student and as a person. My experience taught me that when you believe that something is important, there is no one better to advocate for that cause than yourself. With the right support and training the possibilities of what you can achieve are endless. Higher Education is a right, not a privilege, and anyone who wants to pursue a college degree should be able to. Until the day that this hope becomes a reality students need to fight for their right to a quality education.