A perspective I have adopted is a line from one of my favorite artists, Supaman, that “Everything traditional was once brand new”. Growing up, the thought of empowering California Community College faculty never crossed my mind, and if you had told me I would be doing so in the future, I likely would have laughed at you. Having no belief that I could one day attend college, I whole-heartedly posited that college was not for people like me. Although a few relatives of mine have attended four-year universities, neither of my parents have and I assumed that I would follow in their steps. As a teenager, I attended five different high schools and had no aspirations to pursue higher education, let alone earn my GED. Prior to enrolling at Sierra College, I worked as a night-shift caregiver and provided care to an in-home patient, often working over 100 hours a week. I am proud of the work I did and know that I made meaningful contributions to people’s livelihoods, but it came with a cost.
I often slept only two hours a day and stayed up for 48-hour stretches. The implications of my work became increasingly more pronounced, leading me to question if it was sustainable. One morning after working a twelve-hour shift, I took my car into the shop to have it serviced. While waiting, I struck up a conversation with a man next to me. We discovered that we had the same name, were both Native American (although from different tribes), and had many common interests. We hit it off and soon became friends, having conversations often. In one of our exchanges, he mentioned he attended Sierra College and encouraged me to consider enrolling. I laughed and told him that college was not a place for people like us. Despite my skepticism, he insisted that I should look into attending, sharing that there was a support program for Native American students. Although unconvinced, I cared deeply about what he said and held on to his suggestion.
After working as a night-shift caregiver for about nine months, I had an opportunity to share a condo with a coworker. At this time, I was living in a small shed that had no running water or air conditioning, so I found this opportunity to be incredibly exciting. Upon deciding to move, I called my mother to share my “great news” and her response was far different than I expected. She said, “Jacob. What do you want to do? Do you want to work 100 hours a week to live in a condo with your coworker? What do you really want to do?”. Her words shook me. After ending the conversation, out of frustration I searched up the Sierra College website and expected to see nothing that interested me, thinking I was wasting my time. But after exploring Sierra College's support programs and discovering the on-campus residence hall, my perspective shifted. Within hours, convinced that school might be possible, I applied to Sierra College.
Once accepted to Sierra College, which I celebrated, not knowing it was a 100% acceptance rate, I began preparing to attend school full-time and leave my occupations. As a first-generation college student with limited understanding of college life, I worked tirelessly to secure support and immerse myself in school. Completing my first year at Sierra College has redefined my potential. I now regularly surpass my previous ambitions for making meaningful change in the world.
Since serving as the Political Action Committee (PAC) Student Coordinator for FACCC, the work I have completed and contributions I have made have been both diverse and innovative. The opportunity for real-time advocacy, working under Anna Mathews, FACCC’s Government Relations Director, has provided invaluable understanding. When I was hired, Anna told me the work I would be doing with FACCC would be a practical application of my introductory political science course, which I confidently agree with. Her words were clearly realized the first time I tracked a piece of legislation. While my political science courses covered the legislative cycle, I didn't know how bills were tracked in practice. Utilizing various tools and being taught how to effectively follow bills bridged this gap between theory and practice. Having the opportunity to not only experience what advocacy is, but carry it out has been paramount to my development as a student.
I have honed my skills and expanded FACCC's advocacy efforts by providing testimony for AB 2033, conducting research on CCC system practitioners, and tracking bills. I have advocated for EBT expansion for food-insecure students, learned about the financial incentives and motives for non-system stakeholders participating in education policy, compiled data to guide FACCC's political direction, and supported bills to boost FACCC’s legislative presence.
My research and data analysis have provided new insights to guide our political direction. Enlarging our understanding of legislative history within post-secondary education and identifying components of the policy shifts throughout the last decade are central to our political efficacy. By tracking bills and communicating our stances to the legislature, I have further established FACCC's presence and commitment to CCC faculty.
My growth and development has been made possible through the California Community Colleges. Without having access to the resources I have received through community college, the chances that I would be where I am today are marginal. Reaching this point, contributing professionally to the CCC system, would have been unimaginable to me even a year ago. Ensuring that students like myself are met with the resources they need to achieve their goals must remain at the center of community colleges.
As a requirement for students to meet their goals, faculty representation and empowerment must be continued. FACCC embodies this perspective wholly and does not compromise faculty or student rights for the sake of profit motives. For these reasons and many more, I am honored to contribute to FACCC’s mission and look forward to empowering both faculty and students in new ways in the future.