CHC Student Presents at Pathways to Equity Conference

Publish Date: May 19, 2022

On March 16, CHC CalWORKs student Carina Gutierrez presented at the California Community Colleges Pathways to Equity conference. Gutierrez shared her story of becoming a single mother at the age of 19 to her daughter Magnolia and how, as a CalWORKs recipient, she pursued an education to provide a better future for her daughter.

“I made the decision to apply to Crafton Hills College.” Gutierrez shared. She soon secured a student worker position and began to develop a passion for the work she was doing for the CalWORKs department, where she became a SPARC leader.

SPARC is a project through the CalWORKs Association in which parenting CalWORKs students conduct research regarding conditions and barriers within the public assistance and higher education systems, design solutions that make sense to the families served by those systems, and advocate for the implementation of new, out-of- the-box solutions.

Gutierrez shared her personal struggles of balancing school, home, motherhood, and work. She presented a report of her work with the SPARC Project and how she has been able to “delve into the CalWORKs system and programming to identify barriers, challenges, and obstacles parenting and CalWORKs students face.”

Gutierrez shared how the work she has done will “promote equity, reduce poverty, and increase economic justice while addressing issues regarding race and inequity.”

CHC CalWORKs Director Dr. Rejoice Chavira stated, “I am so proud of Carina and what she has accomplished.” Gutierrez will be graduating this spring and transferring to Cal Poly Pomona.