Poets Sammantha Vega ’17, a political science major, and Manuel Herrera ’20, a biology major, traveled to Sacramento las week to advocate for Cal Grants and urge lawmakers not to cut funding to the program.
The grants, which aid more than 27,000 students across the state, were already reduced in the past 10 years. The maximum Cal Grant award to private, nonprofit students is once again facing a cut of over $1,000. Vega and Herrera both count on the Cal Grant award as part of their financial aid package.
“I’m going to do study abroad this spring in China, and it’s things like that that I wouldn’t be able to afford had I not gotten Cal Grants,” said Herrera, who is considering becoming a doctor. “Those definitely do help a lot. I mean, every little dollar counts when you’re in college.”
During their visit to the state capital, Vega and Herrera had a full day of meetings with legislators and influential policy staff, even catching the ear of California State Assembly Majority Leader Ian Calderon.
Meeting Calderon in his office wasn’t only an opportunity to champion Cal Grants. Vega has often been an admirer of Calderon’s career; he’s the youngest majority leader in Assembly history. Meeting him, realizing how “down-to-earth” he is, and the focus he has on the schools in his district (including Whittier College), gave Vega hope for her own journey into politics.
Herrera and Vega also met alumnus Dorian Almaraz ’14, a member of Senator Tony Mendoza’s staff. Almaraz invited the two onto the senate floor, where a giant electronic sign welcomed Whittier College. The moment made Vega “proud to be a Poet and so grateful that Dorian and I share the same education, seeing as we have similar goals for the future,” she said.
The trip was organized through the Sacramento-based Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU).
