About AVANZANDO:
AVANZANDO provides bilingual, culturally responsive support that helps first-generation, low-income, Latinx, STEM, and Health Sciences students stay enrolled and succeed at SRJC. Its loss puts student success and equity at risk.

Why This Matters

This petition will be shared with the SRJC Board of Trustees, College Administration, and community stakeholders. Each signature shows public support for keeping essential student services and calls for transparency, accountability, and action. Student success should not depend on temporary funding cycles.

SUBJECT: Petition to Preserve and Sustain SRJC AVANZANDO (HSI-STEM) Student Support Program|

To the Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees, President, and College Administration,

We, the undersigned students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members of Santa Rosa Junior College, write to express our deep concern regarding the announced discontinuation of the Avanzando (HSI-STEM) Program, which is currently scheduled to end in September 2026 due to the loss of federal HSI funding. While the funding source may be ending, the student need has not.

AVANZANDO is not just a grant-funded program; it is a lifeline for students at Santa Rosa Junior College. For many first-generation, low-income, Latinx, pursuing STEM or Health Sciences pathways, AVANZANDO provides the academic guidance, mentorship, financial support, and sense of belonging that make college possible. The planned discontinuation of AVANZANDO in September 2026 places these students, and SRJC’s equity commitments, at serious risk. Without clear plans to sustain or fully replace these services, students face uncertainty that threatens their ability to remain enrolled and succeed.

What makes AVANZANDO unique is its holistic, student-centered approach. The program offers bilingual and culturally responsive support through one-on-one case management, mentoring from peers, faculty, and professionals, academic and personal guidance, and intentional community-building that fosters belonging. Avanzando staff understand the real-life challenges students face both inside and outside the classroom and meet students where they are with compassion and care.

AVANZANDO is inclusive and accessible. It does not place barriers on who can receive support and serves students across SRJC who need support most. These services are not “extra” or supplemental; they are essential to student retention, success, and equity.

Because of AVANZANDO, students have been able to:

• Stay enrolled during financial, personal, or academic hardship
• Receive individualized academic and emotional support
• Connect with mentors who reflect their identities and goals
• Build confidence in STEM and Health Sciences pathways
• Feel seen, supported, and valued at SRJC

Without AVANZANDO, many students will lose access to the very supports that allow them to persist in college. While students have been told that replacement or reallocation of services may be considered, no clear or transparent plan has been shared. This uncertainty has caused significant anxiety and concern among students who depend on these services.

As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, SRJC has made commitments to equity, access, and student success. The loss of AVANZANDO raises serious concerns about how those commitments will be upheld, especially for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

We respectfully call on SRJC Leadership to:

• Provide transparency regarding the decision timeline and planning process
  
  
• Actively pursue alternative funding, institutional support, or resource reallocation to sustain AVANZANDO or comparable services
  
  
• Ensure any replacement services are fully funded, culturally responsive, bilingual, and comparable in scope and quality
  
  
• Publicly reaffirm SRJC’s commitment to first-generation, low-income, Latinx, STEM, and Health Sciences students.

Student success should not depend solely on temporary funding cycles. Programs like AVANZANDO reflect the values SRJC claims to uphold and have a proven impact on student retention and success.

By signing this petition, we are urging SRJC leadership to listen to student voices and take meaningful action to preserve or fully replace the Avanzando program and the critical support it provides.

Signed,
Concerned SRJC Students, Alumni, Faculty, Staff, and Community Members