From the Nominator

In 2023, the Foundation for California Community Colleges (CCC) was proud to partner with the CCC Chancellor’s Office to host the 5th Annual CCC LGBTQ+ Summit. Themed “Fiercer Together--Uplifting Queer and Trans Students on Our Campuses,” the virtual event convened more than 1,000 participants from 105 colleges. Additionally, to continue the conversation from the online summit, three, in-person, regional gatherings were held at the College of San Mateo, Fresno City College, and Irvine Valley College. Entitled “From Passion to Action," the series included the participation of prominent keynote speakers, including Dr. Z Nicolazzo, Associate Professor of Trans* Studies in Education at the University of Arizona, and Joshua Elizondo, actor and former CCC Board of Governors member. Both the online summit and in-person convenings were impactful and produced practical action plans that attendees could implement on campuses immediately. The events addressed ideas for change at community colleges and inspired important discussions about ways to better serve, support, and affirm LGBTQ+ students. Both the summit and regional convenings were sponsored by 30 diverse educational, nonprofit, and corporate institutions. In addition to these sponsorships supporting event infrastructure, they helped subsidize costs for attendees, as we provided many sponsored registrations to ensure financial barriers didn’t prevent interested parties from joining these crucial conversations.

From the Judges

This community college system-wide initiative addresses a critical and widespread need within higher education, with a particular focus on supporting a vulnerable population. Notably, a significant number of colleges throughout the state-wide system joined forces, showcasing advocacy and drawing attention to the initiative despite their decentralization. Their goals were admirable, and they exceeded all of them.