Immigrant-Based Support Program Counselor Sheyla Castillo (second from the left) poses with immigrants, refugees, and English language learner students at San Diego College of Continuing Education’s César E. Chávez Campus.
Immigrant-based support program student center opens at César E. Chávez campus
February 7, 2023 |
Nearly half of the student body of San Diego College of Continuing Education will have a new support system thanks to the launch of the Immigrant-Based Support Program (ISP) Student Center at the César E. Chávez Campus in Barrio Logan. The center, which opened this fall, will help students who are immigrants, refugees, and English language learners.
“I saw the need to provide a safe on-campus space for these students,” said ISP Counselor and Coordinator Sheyla Castillo. “I wanted more than anything to surround our students with a community that could support them in navigating the American school system — without fear of deportation — so that they could believe in themselves and aspire to become who they want to be.”
ISP is a virtual student support program with an on-campus site designed for adult students who are immigrants, refugees, and English language learners. ISP hosts weekly community forum presentations in Spanish and English. The program has two WhatsApp group chats, one in Spanish and one in English, where students share resources with one another such as job announcements, free food distribution locations, educational opportunities, low-cost laptops, and community events. Additionally, ISP offers student referrals for free or low-cost health and legal assistance and coordinates peer-to-peer study groups.
As an immigrant from Ecuador whose doctoral studies are in international education, Castillo understands firsthand the needs of immigrant students, refugees, English language learners, and foreign-born professionals who enroll at the College of Continuing Education to create or rebuild their lives in the United States. Castillo also advocated for the college to provide students with a High School Diploma/Equivalency program in Spanish in 2006 and later started the ISP program in 2019.
The ISP is helping English as a Second Language student Isabella Andrzejczyk, who came to the United States from Germany when her husband got a new job in La Jolla. Andrzejczyk worked as a television production manager for 17 years in Germany and wanted to gain new skills in the U.S., including improving her English language comprehension.
“ISP has many helpful resources,” Andrzejczyk said. “The program allowed me to get to know my ESL teachers more personally during the community forum presentations.”
Andrzejczyk recently completed the project management certificate program through the College of Continuing Education and works as an ESL project assistant.
“The College of Continuing Education showed me that I could study full-time, work part-time, and spend a lot of time with my daughter,” she said. “I did not know this was possible in another country.”
In addition to providing a safe space and important resources, ISP serves as a critical pathway to the San Diego Promise by assisting students to apply for the scholarship and grant program, which allows students to attend San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges tuition-free. More than 50 ISP students have transitioned from College of Continuing Education to a SDCCD credit college in the past three years.