Calbright is open to all Californians, but we’re designed to meet the needs of traditionally underserved populations. So even though we’re an online college, our outreach team, led by coordinator Raul Sarabia, criss-crosses the state during Black History Month to meet people who can benefit from our services where they are. From urban to rural areas, tribal job fairs to military bases, we want everyone to know that Cabright is offering free college level job training that employers are looking for.
This month, Sarabia visited four Black College Expos across California:
- San Diego, at the Bayview Baptist Church
- Los Angeles, at the Sofi Stadium
- Fresno, at the Fresno Convention Center
- Oakland, at the Oakland Marriott City Center
“These expos are great ways to connect students, parents, and families to positive post-secondary pursuits by providing resources and services to help students prepare for, enroll in, and graduate from a degree and/or certificate program,” Sarabia said. “Our goal is to provide Californians with a valuable resource and always promote a college going culture in all the communities we step foot into.”
As studies show that Black American workers have a particularly difficult time getting employers to recognize their qualifications, it’s more important than ever for Calbright to connect folks to in-demand skills training through the Black College Expos. Even as we see more Americans receivingcollege degrees, the education gap keeps growing. According to Opportunity@Work, millions of Black workers are stuck in unrewarding jobs that don’t utilize their full potential – they’re qualified to do more, but need employers to be able to see what they’re capable of. Colleges can do more to be a part of the solution.
Raul, our regional outreach coordinator, was out spreading the word last weekend at the @NCRFoundation Black College Expo in Inglewood. He’ll be at the Oakland Black College Expo tomorrow, February 8th, 11am-3pm, at the Oakland Marriott City Center. Come through and say hi! pic.twitter.com/qJQ1l1gfpc
— Calbright College (@GoCalbright) February 7, 2025
Sarabia, who has been attending events like these for years, said that Calbright is increasingly seen as an important presence. “As Calbright continues to grow we are slowly starting to come to the forefront as a top option rather than an alternative option,” he said. “There has been a general shift in mindset when it comes to college. It seems people are embracing job training, and ‘trades’ now much more than in the past. Calbright clearly has a huge role to play in this space given the nature of our college.”
Calbright offers all adult Californians (with a high school degree or equivalent) the opportunity to train in online community college programs that are closely aligned to industry standards in areas like IT Support, Project Management, Cybersecurity, Human Resources, Data Analysis, CRM Platform Administration, and more.
Those are the kinds of careers that Sarabia says he’s seeing an increasing interest in at Black College Expos, and they are the kind of careers that, with the right skills, can be entered into without a traditional college degree.
Calbright doesn’t just offer those skills, it offers them in a format that puts the student at the center: They can study remotely, on their own time, and set their own pace for the program, moving quickly through areas where they already have expertise and taking extra time, without penalties, when they need it.
“People are always impressed and intrigued by what Calbright has to offer, particularly our flexibly paced model of educational delivery,” Sarabia said. “The fact that we are an open enrollment institution created positive buzz with interested folks. The fact that they can enroll at any point in the year and don’t have to wait for fall/spring semester dates allows for Calbright to remove another logistical barrier for access to higher education.”
He added that he’s seen these events grow in size and scope since he started attending, and that it’s inspiring to be around people looking to step into their futures.
“The general experience is always great, I left every single expo empty handed, with all my flyers and materials gone – it’s clear Calbright is an in-demand resource across the state,” he said.
