Mission Statement

The STARS mission is to advance social mobility for transfer, re-entry and independent students by providing transformative higher education experiences. STARS guides students who disproportionately enter higher education through community colleges including those who have experiences with: transfering, returning to school at an older age, military, being parents, foster care, homelessness, incarceration, or family trauma. We offer culturally relevant counseling and mentorship programs, and actively remove systemic barriers in order to create access, cultivate belonging, motivate persistence, and nurture wellness.

STARS staff provide holistic and humanizing support by acknowledging the lived experiences of students.  We consider the social, political, economic, environmental and historical contexts impacting a student’s experience. We guide students to see learning as a growth process, through which we encounter the unknown, move through fear and uncertainty, and circle in one’s authentic self. We offer programs and activities that create a sense of belonging and invite students to be a part of our community. STARS staff embrace and develop connections and cooperative relationships with colleagues and community partners to create a meaningful and personalized network of support for our students.  We foster critical reflection and action among students and staff.  We value self-care, healing, and transformation for our students and ourselves.
 
Feel free to contact us at starpeer@ucsc.edu