Student Ambassadors Strengthen California Community Colleges

Representatives shared resources and advice at the Intersegmental Basic Needs Summit.
At 33, Christopher M. made a choice that would transform not only his own life but the lives of countless students. After graduating from high school in Palm Desert in 2010, he spent a decade working in retail, climbing as high as he could, until he was told he couldn’t advance without a college degree. Determined to change his path, he left his job and enrolled full-time at College of the Desert. He failed his first semester and nearly walked away, but with support from TRIO Student Support Services, he got off academic probation and found a community that believed in him. He immersed himself in campus life, joining the student government, advocating for Alas Con Futuro AB 540 students, and was selected as a California Community Colleges (CCC) Student Ambassador. What started as a personal goal to earn a degree quickly became a deep passion for peer-to-peer advocacy.
Since its inception in 2018, the Student Ambassador Program alone has trained more than 768 ambassadors and facilitated over 1.6 million student connections, demonstrating its statewide reach and impact. Through these efforts, 136,387 students were connected to essential basic-needs support — advancing the goals of Vision 2030.
“Sometimes all we need is someone to show us what’s out there,” said Christopher, who struggled to find financial and academic resources on campus early on. “The most meaningful moments for me as a student ambassador are when I help someone get food or pay a bill, and they come back saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this existed, and it really helped me.’ Seeing their faces light up again is incredible.” His advocacy even took him to Washington, D.C., where he learned how to amplify student voices at the highest levels of legislation.
That commitment to his fellow students brought Christopher to the recent California Higher Education Basic Needs Alliance (CHEBNA) 2026 Summit in Sacramento, where he served as a moderator and emceed the closing ceremony. Leaders from Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC) joined statewide partners February 10–11 for the summit, hosted by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in partnership with the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) systems. The convening focused on strengthening how colleges meet students’ basic needs, from food and housing security to mental health and financial wellness. Selected by the Chancellor’s Office, Christopher was joined by CCC student ambassadors Joaquin (Aki) S., 20, and Majhema (Ema) F., 19, in leading statewide conversations alongside FoundationCCC leadership.
Their collective dedication to serving their peers was evident at the CHEBNA Summit, where they joined FoundationCCC leaders and other Student Ambassadors to present the California Community Colleges AANHPI Student Achievement Program (SAP) Student Ambassador Cohort: Reimagining Basic Needs Access, a feature session highlighting student-led strategies to strengthen essential supports for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students.
“It’s incredibly meaningful that these students were invited by the Chancellor’s Office to represent their college at the state level and to be recognized for their leadership and peer-to-peer outreach they provide on their campuses. Opportunities like this are rare, especially for many first-generation students,” said Marisela Hernandez, FoundationCCC Equity Manager, who oversees the Student Ambassador Program.
For Aki, advocacy grew from his own experience of feeling like an outsider. Born in Manila, he moved to the U.S. in 2023 at age 18 after his green card was approved and enrolled at Los Medanos College. Feeling isolated and unsure how to navigate basic campus resources, he found a sense of belonging through an on-campus job with Student Equity and the Student Ambassador Program. Now maintaining a 4.0 GPA, Aki has presented research on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) belonging in New York City and advocated in Washington, D.C., for increased funding and visibility for AAPI students. He has been accepted to the University of California, Davis, and plans to transfer in fall 2026, pursuing a future in business administration or economics.
“I didn’t know anyone when I came here, and I couldn’t relate to anyone on campus, so creating an environment of inclusion for others became important to me,” he says. “Becoming a student ambassador has helped me grow so much in the past two years. If you had told me when I first arrived that I would be speaking in front of students and professionals at different conferences, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Ema’s journey is a testament to resilience. Born in Siquijor, Philippines, she came to San Joaquin Delta College to honor her late father, who once studied accounting there. “Others might think that CSU and UC schools are more prestigious than community colleges, but for me, Delta College was a huge accomplishment. Hearing about my father going to college in America became my dream,” she shared.
Arriving in the U.S. just two years ago, Ema endured cultural barriers but later became a campus leader through Delta’s EPIC AAPI Learning Community and student government. At CHEBNA, she opened the summit as student emcee and spoke on the AAPI panel, stressing that students can only thrive when their basic needs are met. This spring, she will lead advocacy efforts on behalf of her college, meeting with U.S. Senators, members of the House of Representatives, and congressional staff to address proposed cuts to Minority Serving Institution (MSI) grants. In the fall, Ema will continue her journey at the University of the Pacific, where she plans to study accounting and pursue her long-term dream of launching a nonprofit to support Filipino agricultural workers and honor Stockton’s rich history.
“When I decided to go back to college, my only goal was to complete my degree. Through these experiences as a CCC Student Ambassador, I can see myself serving as President of College of the Desert or running for Palm Desert City Council one day,” concluded Christopher, who will transfer to CSU San Bernardino this fall.
Together, Christopher, Aki, and Ema reflect the heart of the Student Ambassador Program: peer-to-peer outreach that reduces stigma, connects students to resources like CalFresh and Crisis Text Line, and fosters belonging on campus. Their leadership at CHEBNA 2026 demonstrated a powerful truth: when students are empowered to lead, California’s colleges become stronger, more equitable communities where every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Learn more about FoundationCCC Supporting Students’ Basic Needs programs.
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