Santa Barbara City College celebrates grand opening of Dream Center

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Santa Barbara City College on Wednesday celebrated the grand opening of its new Dream Center during Community Colleges' Undocumented Student Week of Action.

The Dream Center is aimed to be a place where undocumented students can receive various resources, such as legal assistance, academic assistance, and financial assistance, among others.

"Students are not really able to engage fully in their academic experience until they feel a sense of belonging and connection on their campus, and that's what we really hope we are providing students here," said Roxanne Burn, equity, diversity, and cultural competency coordinator at the city college.

The center will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., excluding school holidays.

The grand opening was celebrated with live music, free food, and attendees had the opportunity to paint a canvas or a Calavera mask and write a letter of support to an undocumented student, or "dreamer."

The opening falls during the sixth annual Undocumented Student Action Week, a statewide effort to advance best practices for supporting undocumented student success and advocate for action in support of long-term student success.

For more information on the Dream Center, click here. For more information on Undocumented Student Week of Action, click here.