Hello. I am a student of Gateway to College. 

Gateway to College is a program stemming from Contra Costa College that supports many ambitious high school students to take on tough college classes in their path forward to graduation. Students that are a part of this program are highly unlikely to graduate from high school or have been dropped out in regards to low grades and/or low attendance. Gateway to College offers an opportunity to get back on track with counseling, college-level courses, and encouraging, supportive staff who have their students' back at any point in time. With this multitude of assistance given to students, this is more than a simple helping hand, it is salvation. 

We have received word that this program is shutting down without proper warning. As students who are looking for success, this is a major setback to our lives. It is detrimental to our education to take away this opportunity from us. Staff put their everything into ensuring students could be able to get on the right footing, from catching up on school work to assisting our emotional and mental health problems. If this program were to close, we would be sent to different schools. This means more stressful adaptation, risk of discomfort in a new environment, and even more steps back in our path forward in life. Many of our numerous reasons why we are attending Gateway is because of our previous school. Not only is Gateway a wonderful place to have as an educational environment, it is also a safe place for a majority of us. With confidence, students can say that this space is one of the most caring educational spaces they have attended.

Students aren't the only body of people affected by this. Staff who have dedicated years of their lives to this program are at risk as well, most that have personally gone through the difficulty of high school are present for the sole purpose of ensuring that their students wouldn't go through the same course as them.

Now is the time to act against this shut down as we only have until the end of the semester to stand for ourselves.

"I simply wouldn't graduate."

"I don't know what I'd do if it closed, it's already hard enough thinking about it."

"I see myself on the street and having an illness."

The students and staff ask you to put a voice in this disaster, and become a part of our community to help us revive Gateway to college.

Thank you for reading. 

- J