San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) has been awarded a $169,387 three-year grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to launch its first-ever Rising Scholars Program at the Educational Cultural Complex (ECC), a milestone achievement to advancing restorative education and reentry support.

While the College of Continuing Education already offers more than 80 tuition-free certificate programs and critical wraparound support services, the Rising Scholars Program is specifically designed to eliminate barriers to education for students impacted by the criminal justice system. The program will provide justice-impacted individuals with essential academic and personal resources, including legal rights referrals, community service connections, and reintegration support, while fostering personal growth and pathways to career success.

“For the first time ever in our 110-year history, San Diego College of Continuing Education has received funds to deliver highly targeted resources and support to justice-impacted students who are so ready and willing to change the trajectory of their lives,” said Dr. Tina M. King, College of Continuing Education President. “We are profoundly grateful to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for their support and including noncredit students in this program. This grant is more than funding, it’s a commitment to equity that ensures justice-impacted individuals are seen and supported to rise as learners, leaders, and changemakers in their communities.”

President King is hopeful the new program will impact hundreds this fall, including in stories like Francisco Contreras. After dropping out of high school at age 15, Contreras’ life spiraled into a cycle of drugs, gang violence, and incarceration. Now, nearly three decades later, he has returned to school, this time determined to finish what he started. “I finally realized that if something didn’t change, I was either going to be in prison for the rest of my life, or found dead somewhere,” he shared.

With the support of the SDCCE, Contreras committed himself to his studies, receiving tutoring, encouragement, and even a scholarship along the way. This marked his third attempt to earn a diploma, and the one that changed his life. Now a high school graduate, Contreras, 47, is advancing in his construction career and continuing his studies at SDCCE.

Set to launch this August, Rising Scholars will offer academic counseling, peer mentoring, career training, mental health support, life-skills development, and strong community partnerships. To lead these efforts, SDCCE has appointed Nathan Klein as the program’s first Rising Scholars Counselor.

Klein brings over a decade of experience supporting justice-impacted individuals, foster youth, and low-income students. His leadership roles in statewide equity-focused programs such as Umoja and NextUp, paired with international teaching experience in Spain and China, have shaped his trauma-informed, student-centered approach. These experiences have enriched his ability to connect with diverse learners and adapt his support to meet each student’s unique needs.

With the addition of Klein as the Rising Scholar Counselor, there is now support for justice-impacted students at each college within the San Diego Community Colleg District, opening up a pathway for noncredit students to transition from noncredit to credit and beyond.

The Rising Scholars Program at SDCCE is part of a broader statewide initiative. SDCCE joins a growing number of California community colleges leading the charge in advancing educational equity for justice-impacted populations.