Cal-SOAP: Providing Education about Financial Aid to Boost Local College-Going Rate

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions concerning “education accessibility” become central to our discussion about school. But as the team at Cal-SOAP Santa Barbara knows, barriers to education did not simply appear with the pandemic lockdowns.

At California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP), they ask: What is keeping students out of higher education? How do we eliminate these barriers?

To learn more about the pathway to financial aid, the impact of recent legislation, and the way the landscape of education has changed, I spoke to Project Director Joanna Romo. 

Q. Tell me a little bit about yourself and your role at Cal-SOAP.

A. My name is Joanna Romo. I am the Cal-SOAP project director, and I’ve been in this current position for six years and five months now. My role is basically directing the program, which is by extension administered by the California Student Aid Commission. 

Why was Cal-SOAP started?

In 1978 there was legislation to try to increase the college-going rate among low income and under-represented students. In our area here in Santa Barbara, we did have a very low college-going rate and low high school graduation rate at that time. Over the years, the high school graduation rate has gone up, so now we want to focus on the college-going rate. We work very closely with students who are low income and first generation.

It’s not just college that we try to push; we also try to give them an understanding that there are other postsecondary opportunities. That could be a vocational field. That could be going to Santa Barbara City College and getting an associate degree. We’re really trying to create a more educated workforce. 

What is the biggest barrier to students getting the information they need to apply to college?

For many families, we know they’re immigrant families, and they don’t have the knowledge or awareness of what the educational system is like and how it works. They don’t have an understanding of how to support their students, so not knowing the resources and not knowing how to access those resources are the biggest obstacles for them.

Our program and programs like ours across the state are here to try to help our communities and try to help people within those populations – to be able to provide them with those kinds of resources, to make it easier to understand how to use these resources. 

How is information provided to students and families?

We do a lot of things to give families access to this information: advising sessions and workshops. One of the things we do is hire college student staff, many of whom are first-generation college students who come from low-income backgrounds. As they go through college, we hire them, and they become mentors to the students who access our resources at Cal-SOAP.

How much does it cost for families to access these services at Cal-SOAP?

They’re free. Everything is free. Our funding is here, so that we can spend the money and be able to provide these services for free to all of our students and all of our families in the Santa Barbara School District and also out in the Carpinteria School District.

Why is it important to have a service like Cal-SOAP?

It is especially important now with the new legislation that just passed on September 1. This new legislation requires that all seniors apply for financial aid, and as one of the partners named in this legislation, we’re here to help.

A lot of money has been left on the table in the last couple years due to COVID. There’s a lot of money available to college students. More than 80% of the time when students apply for financial aid, they will enroll in college. Once they see their award letters, once they see how much they’re going to be able to get in order to pay for their tuition, there’s a higher chance that student will enter college. That’s why this is important – that’s the push. We know that if we can increase the number of students who complete their financial aid applications, we can increase the college-going rate in the state of California.

A Student’s Perspective

After speaking with Project Director Joanna Romo, it was time to hear the student perspective on Cal-SOAP. Jessica Wang, a current member of the Cal-SOAP college student staff, was available to weigh in. 

Q. How did you first learn about Cal-SOAP?

A. I first learned about Cal-SOAP this past spring. During my spring quarter, I wanted to be able to volunteer at schools to gain teaching experience. I first reached out to Partners in Education, and they informed me that Cal-SOAP would be an amazing program for me since I mainly wanted to teach high school.

What was your first experience with Cal-SOAP?

My first experience with Cal-SOAP was in the spring of 2022. At first, I did not know much about the program, however, after meeting with Rafael [Alvarado], the Program Coordinator, I immediately knew that Cal-SOAP is where I belong. During my first tutoring experience with Cal-SOAP, I was able to help students understand their material and prepare them for their upcoming math exams. This experience strengthened my hopes of becoming a math teacher.

How has Cal-SOAP contributed to your life?

Cal-SOAP allowed me to experience how my life would be in the future in the sense of being able to teach others and inspire others that learning is fun. During my time at Cal-SOAP, I have learned more about myself. I have grown as an individual as well as found different strategies to help others grow. 

What made you want to keep working with Cal-SOAP?

I want to keep working with Cal-SOAP because I want to be able to help others further their education. Cal-SOAP gives all students equal access to education, and that is something that has driven me to keep working with them.