The Real College California Basic Needs Summit focused on California community college students. Community college students have disproportionately higher levels of food insecurity, homelessness and poverty than other college students.
Coaching sessions focused on a variety of ways colleges can help to better support their students and bring solutions to their campuses.
Fernanda Rodriguez is a student at College of the Desert. She’s also a member of the California College Corps, a faction of California Volunteers. She was there with other College Corps volunteers to learn how to help students struggling with food insecurity.
“Not only are they talking about the resources that they have already implemented, but they're actually presenting you with the resources and the suppliers that they have and the donations that they get,” said Rodriguez.
Keynote speaker Reggie Dabbs spoke about overcoming bad circumstances and finding the silver lining.