Porterville College CalWORKs
Student Profile:
CalWORKs is a Support System
If I wasn't on CalWORKs the first semester, I wouldn't be where I am now."
Juanita Barajas
Juanita was born in Yuba City, CA and moved to Porterville when she was 1years old. From Yuba City she came to Porterville where she has spent her entire life. She attended Porterville High School but dropped out. During the time that she dropped out of school her priorities were elsewhere and her education was put on hold. During this time, Juanita worked and was busy getting mixed up in a life that dealt with parties and instant gratification and not education. When she was 23 years old she decided that it was time to go back to school. She went to Porterville Adult School and completed her GED. After completing her GED, Juanita decided to go to college but for years she kept trying and could never successfully finish her degree. “I’d come back and go and never finish because I didn’t have the support,” Juanita states as she reflects back on her educational trials and errors. Juanita is a single mother and raising 4 daughters was a struggle for her to go back to school and support them financially. She was torn between working and having some financial freedom to help her family and coming to school to ultimately better herself and her family. In the end she knew that education was the answer to her problems and knew that something would have to change in order for her to complete school. This is where Juanita found CalWORKs.
“It has changed now, I have the support- getting books and just having someone there,” Juanita states when asked how she has managed to accomplish her educational career at Porterville College. She was very overwhelmed the first semester she attended college and through CalWORKs she has managed to find the support necessary to succeed. She has created relationships with the CalWORKs staff to have a support system at school. “I feel like I can tell them my problems and they will not judge me and will help me; they are not always counselors but people too and they take their time to listen,” Juanita tells me as she gets personal on how CalWORKs has helped her with the support of going to school. Her daughters also understood the importance of Juanita going back to school. Her daughters knew that she had to help herself in order to help the family. By building support systems at CalWORKs, making lifelong friends that have the same educational and career goals, and through family support have all led Juanita to achieve her educational goals. She is graduating this May 2008 with her AA in Social Science and with a Human Services Certificate.
Her educational career wasn’t an easy path; it took lots of turns and unexpected situations but through her hard work, persistence, and finding the necessary building blocks to succeed in college she has successfully reached her first steps to the success of her life. “CalWORKs isn’t an easy process but it is worth every bit of the paperwork,” Juanita declares. Juanita’s educational career does not stop here at Porterville College. She hopes to obtain her Bachelor’s degree to become a Social Worker and continue to work with at risk youth.
CalWORKs has also helped Juanita with finding jobs on and off campus. Through the work study program it allows CalWORKs students to gain additional income to help pay for the cost of education and the cost of living. Not only has Juanita been an integral part of how CalWORKs can help students with their education but she has been a beneficial employee through the work study program. She has now been placed off campus at Central California Family Crisis Center and is doing very well. CalWORKs is proud to be a part of the life of such a positive role model and asset to the community.