Rising Scholars Program
Rising Scholars Youth Program
Cuesta College Rising Scholars offers support to justice-impacted students through our Rising Scholars program. Justice-impacted individuals include those who have either been arrested, incarcerated, detained, or placed on probation as either a youth under 26 or as an adult.
The program offers assistance with:
- College matriculation/enrollment
- Academic Support – Counseling and Tutoring
- Financial Support – Help with transportation, cost of textbooks and supplies
- Student Resource Support – On campus and in the community
- Classes at Juvenile Facility
- Classes at Loma Vista Community School
- Classes at California Men’s Colony
Serving Incarcerated Community College Students at SLO County Juvenile Facility, and SLOCOE Community Court School
Cuesta College is committed to providing all justice impacted students at the SLO County Juvenile Facility and the SLOCOE Community Court School with comprehensive college support services including high school enrichment, dual enrollment, and regular college matriculation for high school graduates with the goal of removing life barriers and creating a sense of belonging. Rising Scholars serves to facilitate and ensure educational access, success and equity for all students and has a dedicated team of educational professionals to help students transition to higher education.
Program Mission
The mission of the Rising Scholars Juvenile Justice program is to ensure that Cuesta students achieve Cuesta College Institutional Learning Outcomes while ensuring equity in success, access, and support:
- Personal, Academic, and Professional Development
- Critical Thinking and Communication
- Scientific and Environmental Understanding
- Social, Historical, and Global Knowledge and Engagement
- Artistic and Cultural Knowledge and Engagement
- Technological and Informational Fluency
Degree and Certificate Pathways
Cuesta College Rising Scholars is proud to provide students with a variety of modes to access higher education while concurrently completing their high school diploma. Upon completing their high school diploma, Rising Scholars assists with matriculating students as traditional college students and provides access to academic counseling that will help students navigate college degrees and certificate programs of their choosing.
- Enrichment Courses
- Dual Enrollment Courses
- Traditional College Courses
Rising Scholars Adult Program - California Men's Colony
Serving Incarcerated Community College Students at California Men’s Colony State Prison (CMC)
Cuesta College is committed to providing all students at our CMC satellite campus a quality and comprehensive face to face community college education experience.
Program Mission
The mission of the Rising Scholars at CMC education program is to ensure that Cuesta students at CMC achieve Cuesta College Institutional Learning Outcomes:
- Personal, Academic, and Professional Development
- Critical Thinking and Communication
- Scientific and Environmental Understanding
- Social, Historical, and Global Knowledge and Engagement
- Artistic and Cultural Knowledge and Engagement
- Technological and Informational Fluency
Rising Scholars at CMC is committed to providing an intellectually rigorous Vocational
and Associate of Arts degree program, at no or minimal cost, to its students at CMC;
to expand access to quality higher education for incarcerated individuals; and to
foster the values of equity, civic engagement, independence of thought, and individual
and creative expression.
Degree and Certificate Pathways
Since the start of the program in Fall of 2015, 421 Associate in Arts (AA) degrees have been awarded to Cuesta students at CMC in addition to over a dozen graduates a semester being awarded Safe Serve Certificates upon completion of the culinary program. When CMC students begin their journey with Cuesta College a dedicated academic counselor guides them though one of our 3 offered degree pathways:
- Sociology - Associate Degree for transfer
- Human Services – Associate in Arts
- Certificate of Specialization - Culinary Arts Foundation
Testimonials
KSBY story and video: Local incarcerated students celebrate graduation with families – a prison milestone
KSBY story and video: CMC inmates graduate from culinary arts program