Dear SBCC Foundation Community,

I am thrilled to be here in my new role as CEO of the SBCC Foundation. On May 4, a few days after my start date, I had the pleasure of attending and speaking to the 300 guests at the Spring Forward! Gala. It was an inspiring event, as we gathered on the beautiful Great Meadow on SBCC's West Campus to celebrate our community's college and raise funds for student success. 

I've spent most of my career as a leader in nonprofit and higher education fundraising and administration, and served as Executive Director of the Pasadena City College (PCC) Foundation from 2012 until joining the SBCC Foundation.

Having led the second largest community college foundation in the state, I've followed SBCC and the SBCC Foundation for many years — its progress and growth, and its innovation in starting the only Promise program in the state that covers two full years of student expenses.

I am happy to announce that the SBCC Promise will be serving 2,000 students this fall – the largest number of students to date. Thank you to our generous supporters who make it all possible!

This is an exciting time to be joining the Foundation, and I look forward to getting to know you.

In community,
Bobbi Abram, CEO

SBCC Foundation CEO Bobbi Abram (on right) with Board President Madeleine Jacobson at the 2024 Spring Forward! Gala (Photo by Nell Campbell)

Families and friends filled La Playa Stadium on May 17, as Santa Barbara City College celebrated the proud graduates, many whom participated in the SBCC Promise!

It was a beautiful day and celebration. If you missed it, head over to the SBCC YouTube channel and view the ceremony online!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for and supported the 5th annual Spring Forward! Gala — 300 guests gathered for a beautiful evening celebrating our community's college and raising funds for student success!

We are grateful to all of the generous sponsors, donors, and guests who made the gala a success. Thanks to you, the event raised critical funds to support the SBCC Promise, student support programs, scholarships, emergency grants, and more.

Please enjoy some of the photos taken by our two extraordinary photographers, Nell Campbell and Jay Farbman.

SBCC Promise Rally held on campus on April 19 (Photos courtesy Santa Barbara City College)

Santa Barbara City College hosted more than 560 South Santa Barbara County high school seniors for the first-ever SBCC Promise Registration Rally on April 19. The event provided the visiting students the resources needed to enroll at SBCC for the fall semester as SBCC Promise students.

The SBCC Foundation launched the SBCC Promise in fall of 2016. Since then, it has served more than 7,000 students, covering all of their fees, books, and supplies for up to two years. All recent, local high school students are eligible. The SBCC Promise relies entirely on private donations and requires a $2 million investment annually.

“The SBCC Promise has made a difference in the lives of thousands of local Santa Barbara students and their families,” said Rachel Johnson, SBCC Foundation Chief Program Officer.

“One of the most comprehensive Promise initiatives in the country, this program is entirely funded through the generosity of donors from our community who help make our students’ academic dreams a reality.”

In partnership with the SBCC Foundation, the Rotary Club of Montecito and its supporting foundation awarded twelve $1,250 scholarships to standout SBCC students pursuing study in a career technical education program.

“We are grateful to the Rotary Club of Montecito for their commitment to SBCC students. The Club has generously supported scholarships to SBCC’s Career Technical Education students for nearly 30 years," said SBCC Foundation CEO Bobbi Abram. “The college’s outstanding CTE programs provide specialized instruction that students need to reach their career goals and fulfill important professional roles in our community.”

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In March, around 40 members of the SBCC Foundation’s President Circle and guests were invited to a campus tour of the classrooms and labs in SBCC’s School of Nursing and the Radiography Program. It was educational and inspiring, as the tour provided an intimate glimpse of the spaces where students learn, and the equipment needed for hands-on instruction.

“We have 30 clinical instructors in addition to our full-time faculty, and many instructors are SBCC alumni,” said Mary Sullivan, Director of the Associate Degree in Nursing program. “Last year our pass rate for the NCLEX (the National Council Licensure Examination for graduates to become Registered Nurses) was 93.85%.”

Israel Fonseca, Clinical Coordinator for the SBCC Radiography program, presented remarkable statistics about SBCC Radiography graduates employed in our community. They collected data from the following clinical sites identifying the total number of employees in medical imaging and the percentage of those employees who graduated from SBCC's program:

  • 85% of medical imaging employees at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
  • 86% at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital
  • 75% at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital
  • 75% at Sansum Clinic Healthcare.

Interested in campus tours, receptions, theater events, and other opportunities to get involved and meet fellow SBCC supporters? Learn about joining the President's Circle.

Adrian Flores Mejia participated in the first cohort of the SBCC Promise in 2016. He went on to earn a BA from CSU Channel Islands and a master’s degree from Cal State Northridge, in Chicana/o studies.

The first in his family to go to college, Adrian now works for a local tech company and last semester he returned to SBCC as an adjunct faculty member to teach a course in Chicana/o Studies.

“The SBCC Promise is the only reason I continued my education after high school. It gave me opportunity and hope, as it has for so many other first-generation college students.”

SBCC Promise Program Focus of Foundation’s Spring Forward! Gala Fundraiser (Noozhawk)

SBCC Foundation Hosts Spring Forward Gala (S.B. Independent)

Bobbi Abram to Lead City College Foundation as CEO (Noozhawk)

City College Registers 560 Local Students at Promise Rally (Noozhawk)