Outreach, Recruitment & Enrollment representatives from Laney College, along with some of their student support groups and learning communities, met with Oakland Unified School District representatives from nine of their high schools, as well as some of their central staff on March 11. Staff from each school was a mix of counselors, work-based learning coordinators, transition specialists, and college/career specialists, as well as a few outside college access partners.

The goal of the meeting was to learn about student support needs, create a network for follow up support and identify the next steps in supporting high school graduating seniors (particularly students with an Abbreviated Student Education Plan). Representatives also discussed how Oakland Unified School District students can receive State AB 540 support and financial aid.

During the meeting, Oakland Unified School District representatives shared they recently created a shareable link of resources for their students that includes a data tracker, timelines and action plans for students and staff to abide by when applying to any one of the Peralta campuses.

This year our annual event, Peralta Week, for graduating high school seniors who intend to attend one of the Peralta Colleges will be in May. This event will ensure Oakland Unified School District high school graduating seniors have met with a Peralta counselor, enrolled in classes, connected to support programs, and applied to financial aid. More information on how Peralta Week will be conducted with COVID-19 guidelines will be available in the coming weeks.

This article is an excerpt from the President’s Report, written by Dr. Rudy Besikof, Laney College President, which was presented to the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.