SBCC attends Main Jail college fair

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.– The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Jail Programs Unit hosted a college fair with Santa Barbara City College for inmates at the Main Jail.

SB County Sheriff's say the fair is the first step in introducing and connecting incarcerated individuals to educational resources that are available to them upon their release.

Noel Gomez, SBCC Instructor and Coordinator of the Rising Scholars Program said, "Often times, formerly incarcerated women and men hesitate to make that first visit to a community college campus and begin the enrollment process. During the college fair, staff and faculty were able to send a strong message to those in custody that the academic programs and student services at SBCC can foster and enable their success. More importantly, those currently incarcerated were able to feel welcomed at SBCC.”

SBCC representatives and staff shared information and answered questions on the following programs.

Basic Needs Center, DSPS, EOPS/CARE, CalWorks, Rising Scholars, Financial Aid, Non-Credit Programs, School of Extended Learning, Transfer Achievement Program, Transfer Center, Raíces: First Year and Beyond, Student Health Services, Ethnic Studies, Chemistry, Psychology, Mathematics, Administration of Justice, and Culinary Arts