About the Collective Study Project
Community colleges across California have invested substantial financial resources in initiatives designed to expand student access and support in STEM, particularly through the implementation of California AB 705 and AB 1705. These policies aim to reform placement practices and promote equitable pathways into transfer-level coursework. However, the outcomes of these initiatives do not always align with the lived experiences of the students they are intended to support. Over a three-month period, eleven students at Santa Rosa Junior College participated in a project utilizing Photovoice to critically examine their experiences of access and support on campus. Guided by the central question, “What does access and support look like on campus?”, participants engaged in workshops introducing arts-based participatory research methods and documented their experiences through photography. Collectively, the group produced nearly fifty images accompanied by reflective narratives that illuminate how students interpret institutional structures, resources, and relationships as central components of access and support.
You can see the student's Gallery Exhibit, "What We Found Ourselves" and listen in to the student's experince during workshop sessions at the We the Future Conference, Friday, April 24, 2026.
Gallery Exhibit: What We Found Ourselves-
Taken together, these photographs form a collective map of proximity: how close we were to what we needed, and how far it sometimes felt. They reveal a campus filled with care, but unevenly illuminated. Students navigate by intuition, by chance, by each other. We leave traces for those who come after — a photograph, a caption, a small act of testimony. This gallery is both offering and plea. It asks what it means to build an institution where support is not stumbled upon, but felt immediately, like light. It holds the belief that learning is sustained not only by curriculum, but by warmth, by presence, by the quiet assurance that someone expects you to stay. You can also participate in a workshop at the conference, both in English, and in Spanish.
Workshop: Cultural Center Collective Study Project- (English)
This session will examine how participants used arts-based inquiry to analyze their educational environments and articulate student-centered understandings of meaningful access and support. It will also demonstrate how artistic expression and community dialogue can reveal insights often overlooked by traditional assessment methods, offering educators and administrators new approaches for understanding student experiences and informing more responsive institutional practices. Session attendees will participate an interactive and reflective exercise similar to the skills and processes the panelists engaged in during the project.
Taller: Proyecto de Investigación colectiva de los Centros Culturales- (Español)
Esta sesión examinará como los participantes de este proyecto usaron una investigación basada en las artes (IBA) para analizar sus medioambientes educativos y articular conocimiento de como estudiantes encuentran significado a los temas de acceso y apoyo. Este taller también demostrará como la expresión artística y el diálogo comunitario puede revelar perspectivas muchas veces ignoradas por métodos tradicionales de asesoramiento—lo cual ofrece a educadores y la administración nuevos métodos para entender la experiencia estudiantil y proveer prácticas institucionales más sensibles. Los participantes de esta sesión tendrán la oportunidad de participar en ejercicios similares a lo que hicieron los investigadores en este proyecto.
