Pulling Double Duty

 
Psychology alumna Anna Liu and nutrition student Sara Carrillo were given the opportunity to work closely with faculty members Brianne Dávila (Sociology) and Giselle Navarro-Cruz (Early Childhood Studies) on an article published by The Society for College and University Planning. “Pulling Double Duty: Help Student Parents Succeed by Creating a Family-Friendly Campus Culture” touches on the advocacy efforts at Cal Poly Pomona to achieve a more holistic approach to serving student parents.

Anna, Sara, and their collaborators show a commitment to planning solutions that contribute to institutional change on CPP’s campus.  Pulling Double Duty documents efforts to accommodate student parents in the university classroom, build community among student parents through the Bronco Parenting Students club, and provide a space where students can study with their children in the University Library.

Sara Carrillo, an aspiring researcher, advocate for the parenting student community, and parenting student herself is extremely passionate about supporting parenting students in higher education. She shares, “I envision a future when all higher education institutions have a strong support system in place for parenting students. This article shines a light on the needs of this community and how institutions can create a family-friendly environment for parenting students.” 

Co-author and Ohio State University master’s student, Anna Liu, shares her experiences collaborating from an equity perspective. “While this piece is mainly about supporting student parents and creating an inclusive campus, it goes beyond these themes. Supporting underserved students and providing an inclusive campus also supports social mobility, and these have benefits that link to other social justice efforts (e.g. environmental issues, climate change).” 

Sara and Anna are proud of the work they have done at Cal Poly Pomona and excited to see it featured in this article.