The bright, window-lined office of the Educational Justice Program is home to the Rise Scholars Program, the Black Scholars Program, and the Black Student Union (BSU). Located in the Learning Resource Center’s room LR130, it is a focal point for outreach, support, and community for Rio Hondo College (RHC) students.
The shared space feels like a delightful mix of office and lounge. Students work, chat, and socialize as they use a wall of computers, sit in the two couch areas, or seek help from staff members. Students can access a wide range of support, including academic and program guidance, educational materials, school supplies, and snacks.
The Educational Justice Program encompasses three of RHC’s scholar programs: Rise Scholars, Black Scholars, and Pride Scholars, a program based in the Pride Center in A119 of the Administration building, that supports LGBTQIA+ students.
Rise Scholars
The Rise Scholars program serves formerly incarcerated students who are directly impacted by the justice-carceral system, helping them navigate the higher education system.
Black Scholars
The Black Scholars program empowers Black students by providing a community that fosters academic and professional excellence, helping to make their college journey successful.
Black Student Union
The BSU engages Black and African American students and allies by stimulating their intellectual, political, cultural, and social growth. Through events, the BSU also seeks to help students celebrate Black culture, history, and lifestyles, regardless of racial background.
Encouraging students is the center’s goal, suggested Rise and Black Scholars Student Success Coach Rene Sanchez. An RHC alumnus, Sanchez has an illuminated sign over his desk that reads “Don’t quit,” with “Do” and “it” highlighted in yellow. He suggests that inspiring students and fostering community are two areas where the Educational Justice Programs excel.
“We have students that come in that are not in the programs but still come to hang out,” said Sanchez. “They want to just enjoy the space because their friends are here. They want to participate in events that we collaborate with, and it’s a really good community.”
Sophomore Rise Scholar, David Mendizabal, drops in two to three times a week and considers the room a home base when he’s on campus. He praised the program staff.
“They’re incredible. They’re patient with all of us; their warmth and their welcoming are what’s kept me coming back to school,” said Mendizabal. “I’m very close to transferring out to Cal State now. It’s all thanks to this program that I’ve been able to accomplish so much.”
RHC scholar programs often provide basic needs vouchers and host events. Earlier in October, Rise Scholars co-hosted an expungement clinic pre-screening on campus in collaboration with the Whittier Pride Center and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Eligible participants received free legal assistance with clearing their criminal records.
Support Groups
The Black Scholars Program’s most recent activity was an HBCU Caravan to Los Angeles Trade Tech College’s transfer fair. HBCU stands for historically Black colleges and universities. The all-day event offered a mixer, transfer-focused student workshops, a chance to meet representatives of HBCUs, and on-site admission opportunities.
In conjunction with Student Health and Psychological Services, the Educational Justice Programs also host monthly mental health support groups, “Together We Rise” for Rise Scholars and “Black Minds Matter” for Black Scholars.
Student Success Coach, Malika Castaneda, an alumnus of RHC and a former Rise Scholar, knows firsthand the difference that a mentor and a well-designed program can make in one’s life.
“I tell my students that resilience is strength and everything is mind over matter,” said Castaneda. “I really wish that when I was younger, I could have run into positive people who had a vision. The vision is like a foundation that they’re trying to build for their future. Then I wouldn’t have been so loss-minded.”
Castaneda suggested that people often make poor decisions because they lack vision and experience. She and Sanchez are proud to be a part of the Rise and Black Scholars programs and to share their vision and experiences.
More Information
For more information about programs offered through the Educational Justice Program office, visit LR130, or call (562) 692-0921 for Black Scholars, or (562) 463-7701 for Rise Scholars.
