Message From the President -
August 2018
On August 2, we had a very special event at the Wake Campus. Enrique Morones, President and Founder of Border Angels, was the keynote speaker. Enrique helped the audience of about 80 people understand the horrific plight of refugees fleeing unspeakable conditions of violence and crime in Central and South America and making the difficult journey to the U.S. for refuge. The main topic addressed by Enrique was how families and groups of these undocumented immigrants make the hundred plus-mile trek to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they must cross a treacherous river and then try to make their way across a vast and inhospitable desert the size of Connecticut on the Southern reaches of California and Arizona.
Related to all of this are the 300+ DACA students we serve at the college who are the children of undocumented parents living in the United States. On August 3, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered the Trump administration to restart the DACA program in full. The ruling is scheduled to go into effect later this month.
While border issues are complex and there are no easy answers, our goal as community college educators is to focus on providing an education to those who come to through our doors motivated to learn and make a better life for themselves, their families, and members of our community. Certainly Santa Barbara City College excels at this. A big thank you to the School of Extended Learning team for pulling the event together. Really wonderful and educational for all!
Dr. Anthony E. Beebe, Superintendent/President
