The Leaders Involved in Creating Change or the LINC program at Cerritos College is alive and well on campus this semester.

LINC is a support group on campus that aims to help foster youth transition from a foster life to one of independence through school guidance and off-campus services.

Some of the services they offer are academic counseling, tutoring, access to a food pantry, workshops, college materials and providing emergency bus tokens.

Many students may not know about the program, or have even heard of it, and that may be because there is only one group of students that benefit and know all about it; current or former foster youth students.

According to Yvette Tafoya, the EOPS assistant director, one of the biggest benefits of the program is that it helps steer students towards a goal they may not have known was possible to achieve.

“I think it’s the transition, from foster care to a college environment,” Tafoya said. “Many of them didn’t know that college was an option. So they’re brought to Cerritos College and we share with them what the benefits are of a college education, and you see their eyes just brighten up.”

Zuleika Dixon, a student in the program, echoed the importance of the help offered by LINC.

“LINC has helped me out personally in many ways, especially when it comes down to employment and living situations. Oscar in the LINC office, helped me get prepared with resumes, cover letters, speaking and presentation tips, all to help me land great interviews on campus and with another company,”

LINC also knows how to grasp what a foster student may need on a more personal level.

“The most helpful part of the program are the workshops and appointments,” Dixon added. “They feel more personal and help because they come from a position of understanding what we need.”

While the program’s focus is on providing a better path for living and education, they also know how to show their students a good time.

Tafoya said, “This semester we have the good fortune of having a donation from the Lakers organization.

So we’re taking about twenty youth to a Lakers game. So we try to incorporate those events where the students feel like ‘Hey, I’m not the only one here at Cerritos College that’s a current or former foster youth, there are other youth on this campus like me’, so we do offer events like that.”

Dixon admitted that the program does help when it comes to feeling singled out because of their situation.

“[LINC] helps former foster youth not feel so lost in the crowd. In my experience, not feeling connected with the campus keeps students from doing their best.”

LINC services are available on campus in the EOPS offices.