The SBCC Foundation is excited to welcome Sarah Stretz as its new Chief Development Officer!

Sarah is a 4^th generation Santa Barbara native who attended Santa Barbara High School. After earning her BA in English from UCLA, she began working in advertising sales in Los Angeles at television networks A&E, History Channel, Weather Channel, CBS, and Fox. During her tenure in the television industry, she worked with national corporations such as Walmart, Lexus, Honda, Starbucks and Wendy’s. She also oversaw station compliance for political campaigns on the local and national level as well as marketing and advertising campaigns for locally-owned businesses.

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YouthWell is a countywide organization that focuses on mental health education, support, prevention, and early intervention, connecting youth and families to health and wellness resources.

Emphasizing the message that it’s okay to ask for help, YouthWell mobilizes Santa Barbara County community stakeholders, service providers, schools, law enforcement, and caregivers in order to create a coordinated and comprehensive care response system.

Visit the YouthWell Resource Directory for an up-to-date list of countywide resources for youth, and download the recently created 4 X 9 rack cards for schools, parents, and organizations in English and Spanish.

Running Start, a six-week summer bridge program funded through the SBCC Foundation, gives underprepared local high school graduates the support they need to succeed in college. Many of the students find it much easier getting started at SBCC and establish lasting friendships.

“This program is truly life-changing,” says Alisha Sanchez, Student Program Advisor. “Students learn that they do belong in college, and that they have a support system through EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services) to help them navigate their journey.” This year, 33 students completed the program, receiving academic tutoring and peer mentoring, weekly stipends, food vouchers, and field trips that included visiting Olvera Street and Santa Cruz Island, kayaking, zip lining, and seeing a Dodger game. 

During the first week in August, SBCC served as the final location for SkyPig Film Camp, produced and organized by Santa Barbara High School graduate Santi B Musacchio. The SBCC Foundation stepped in to assist by securing locations for the camp in the community and on campus. Santi and three SBCC film students—Abel Rico, Estella Ye, and Dominic Marchetti—guided six local high-school students who wrote and produced a short film.

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SBCC Promise alumna Ava Engle actually started at SBCC while she was still a high school student at Carpinteria High School. Through a special grant from the SBCC Foundation, she was able to take classes at the college in her senior year, and then came to SBCC full-time to pursue her associate degree in culinary arts. She is passionate about learning, and loved the culinary program at SBCC.

“The SBCC Promise allowed me to get the uniforms, chef knives, and the books that I need, which are really expensive,” Ava said. While attending college, Ava worked at the Carpinteria-based Food Liason, which offers catering services, cooking classes, and a lunch counter.

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During the week of September 14–21, the SBCC Foundation's colorful flags were on display, as part of Downtown Santa Barbara's State Street Flag program that celebrates downtown cultural attractions and our community's nonprofits with weekly flag displays. The flags could be seen the full length of the downtown State Street corridor, from Cabrillo Boulevard to Sola Street. 

SBCC has once again been recognized for its excellence and high caliber of students, faculty and staff! It was ranked as one of the top five community colleges in the nation for 2023 by Niche.com. Reviews on the site include: “Santa Barbara City College is an excellent college that is filled with opportunities,” and “My time at SBCC has been rich and rewarding both educationally and personally. The classes are engaging, challenging, and interesting, led by teachers who exemplify passion for their students and topics of expertise.” 

In addition, Best Universities recognized SBCC's Cosmetology program as one of the best in California, ranking it at #5, stating that “The cosmetology program at Santa Barbara City College is highly competitive. Upon graduation, students are well-trained to be creative professionals.”