Sitting at long tables covered in red tablecloths, counselors are ready to answer questions from high school students about dual enrollment with SBCC.
Counselors at Vaquero Roundup are ready to answer questions from high school students about dual enrollment with SBCC. Credit: Courtesy photo

Nearly 300 Santa Barbara Unified School District students signed up for dual enrollment at Santa Barbara City College during two Vaquero Roundup events in March.

Students and their families who attended learned about opportunities to take classes at SBCC over the summer in person, online, and at high schools.

The 289 rising freshman and high school students who participated on March 8 and March 22 received in-person support to complete the SBCC steps to enrollment, including admissions application, parent consent forms, and course approvals.

High school and junior high counselors were available to assist and provide guidance on selecting a course, completing the course approvals, and clearing prerequisites.

Counselors at the event said the setup was efficient and helped make the process of signing up for dual enrollment easier and more accessible than ever before.

“Preparing students for college and careers is of the utmost importance for our high schools,” said Superintendent Hilda Maldonado. “The Vaquero Roundup is part of our efforts to show college is an option for anyone who wants to continue their education.

“We thank SBCC for the partnership and look forward to finding more ways to make college accessible.”

The dual enrollment partnership aims to ease the transition to college so high school students can experience empowering, encouraging and transformative experiences and have multiple opportunities to successfully earn college and high school credit before completing their high school education.

“Attending college is a family decision for many, and that was apparent at our events, where we had more family members attending with their students than students,” said Angelica Contreras, SBCC’s acting director of admissions and records and dual enrollment.

“The success of Vaquero Roundup is due to the collaboration with our partners,” she said. “Having high school, junior high and college counselors, Program for Effective Access to College, and SBCC departments available in one space where students could complete their steps to enrollment and ask questions is what makes the event truly successful.”

Students in the dual enrollment program can begin their college career while not paying tuition for college classes.

Event attendees were also eligible for a $200 SBCC bookstore book grant for use this summer.

To learn more, visit https://www.sbcc.edu/dualenrollment/.