Education

SF State Students Win Fellowships to Support Minorities in Need of Counseling

Published

8 years ago

July 2, 2017

Francesca Zulueta and Rubi Esmeralda Gutierrez have received fellowships from the NBCC, an immense honor in the field of counseling according to Assistant Professor of Counseling Tiffany O’Shaughnessy. Photo courtesy of SF State News.

Graduate counseling students Francesca Zulueta and Rubi Esmeralda Gutierrez have been awarded $11,000 and $8,000 fellowships from the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). The awards will support their education and facilitate their service to underserved minority populations ages 16 to 25.

Assistant Professor of Counseling Tiffany O’Shaughnessy is Gutierrez’s adviser and proud of her student’s accomplishment.
“The NBCC fellowship is an immense honor in the field of counseling and it speaks not only to Rubi’s consistent commitment to helping others but also to her potential to be a leader in the field going forward,” she said.

Professor of Counseling Julie Chronister is Zulueta’s adviser and views this award as a symbol of Zulueta’s strong commitment to the counseling field, her clients, community and peers.

“The award reflects her clear and sharp focus on improving the lives of those facing some of the most significant and intersecting barriers, including marginalization, discrimination homelessness, mental illness, disability, poverty and loss of social support,” she said.

“It’s great to receive support for what I am passionate about and be with like-minded people that understand my challenges,” Zulueta said.

Of the award, Gutierrez said, “It’s an honor to be recognized and to be afforded the opportunity to deepen my knowledge in the field of counseling.”

Fellowships that support minorities are crucial, according to the awardees.

“As minorities, we may hold multiple intersecting identities and layers of oppression that other people may not face. As a counselor, I feel a responsibility to utilize my privilege to empower, advocate, and help heal my community,” Gutierrez said.

Zulueta agrees.

“It is important to encourage people of color to be a part of developing the field. There is a huge need for counselors to become proficient in multicultural counseling,” she said.
She encourages people of color and intersecting identities to enter the field.

“Multicultural proficiency is needed. In academia, there is a lack of understanding of the nuances and proper interventions to serve minorities. It is all very Eurocentric.”

O’Shaughnessy concurs.

“The need for culturally competent and particularly bilingual counselors cannot be overstated. Every year thousands of individuals from marginalized communities cannot access mental health resources due to language and cultural competency barriers,” she said.

Chronister also notes that the clients the students serve often have intersecting identities. “As a profession, we are ethically obligated to ensure that we train counselors that reflect the culturally diverse landscape,” Chronister said.

Gutierrez and Zulueta both have traineeships as part of their studies where they get to work with clients. Zulueta is excited to evolve as a counselor.

“I’ve lived in San Francisco for 13 years and in the Philippines before that, and I’ve seen such poverty and despair. Initially my target was to serve the homeless population, but I am still trying to understand what demographic I want to serve,” she says.

Gutierrez wants to work with transitional age youth.

“Personally, it was ‘make it or break it’ for me at that age,” she said. “I needed a support system to be successful. I want to be a source of support and be that ‘make it or break it person’ for somebody who needs it,” she said.

The NBCC Foundation is the nonprofit affiliate of the NBCC. The goal of the fellowship program is to reduce health disparities and improve behavioral health care outcomes for racially and ethnically diverse populations by increasing the available number of culturally competent behavioral health professionals.

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California Holds the Line on DEI as Trump Administration Threatens School Funding

The conflict began on Feb. 14, when Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), issued a “Dear Colleague” letter warning that DEI-related programs in public schools could violate federal civil rights law. The letter, which cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ended race-conscious admissions, ordered schools to eliminate race-based considerations in areas such as admissions, scholarships, hiring, discipline, and student programming.

Published

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April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

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By Joe W. Bowers Jr
California Black Media

California education leaders are pushing back against the Trump administration’s directive to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in its K-12 public schools — despite threats to take away billions in federal funding.

The conflict began on Feb. 14, when Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), issued a “Dear Colleague” letter warning that DEI-related programs in public schools could violate federal civil rights law. The letter, which cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ended race-conscious admissions, ordered schools to eliminate race-based considerations in areas such as admissions, scholarships, hiring, discipline, and student programming.

According to Trainor, “DEI programs discriminate against one group of Americans to favor another.”

On April 3, the DOE escalated the pressure, sending a follow-up letter to states demanding that every local educational agency (LEA) certify — within 10 business days — that they were not using federal funds to support “illegal DEI.” The certification requirement, tied to continued federal aid, raised the stakes for California, which receives more than $16 billion annually in federal education funding.

So far, California has refused to comply with the DOE order.

“There is nothing in state or federal law that outlaws the broad concepts of ‘diversity,’ ‘equity,’ or ‘inclusion,’” wrote David Schapira, California’s Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, in an April 4 letter to superintendents and charter school administrators. Schapira noted that all of California’s more than 1,000 traditional public school districts submit Title VI compliance assurances annually and are subject to regular oversight by the state and the federal government.

In a formal response to the DOE on April 11, the California Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond collectively rejected the certification demand, calling it vague, legally unsupported, and procedurally improper.

“California and its nearly 2,000 LEAs (including traditional public schools and charter schools) have already provided the requisite guarantee that its programs and services are, and will be, in compliance with Title VI and its implementing regulation,” the letter says.

Thurmond added in a statement, “Today, California affirmed existing and continued compliance with federal laws while we stay the course to move the needle for all students. As our responses to the United States Department of Education state and as the plain text of state and federal laws affirm, there is nothing unlawful about broad core values such as diversity, equity and inclusion. I am proud of our students, educators and school communities who continue to focus on teaching and learning, despite federal actions intended to distract and disrupt.”

California officials say that the federal government cannot change existing civil rights enforcement standards without going through formal rule-making procedures, which require public notice and comment.

Other states are taking a similar approach. In a letter to the DOE, Daniel Morton-Bentley, deputy commissioner and counsel for the New York State Education Department, wrote, “We understand that the current administration seeks to censor anything it deems ‘diversity, equity & inclusion.’ But there are no federal or State laws prohibiting the principles of DEI.”

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Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

9 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

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Newsom Fights Back as AmeriCorps Shutdown Threatens Vital Services in Black Communities

“When wildfires devastated L.A. earlier this year, it was AmeriCorps members out there helping families recover,” Gov. Newsom said when he announced the lawsuit on April 17. “And now the federal government wants to pull the plug? We’re not having it.”

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

California for All College Corps.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing the federal government over its decision to dismantle AmeriCorps, a move that puts essential frontline services in Black and Brown communities across California at risk, the Governor’s office said.

From tutoring students and mentoring foster youth to disaster recovery and community rebuilding, AmeriCorps has been a backbone of support for many communities across California.

“When wildfires devastated L.A. earlier this year, it was AmeriCorps members out there helping families recover,” Newsom said when he announced the lawsuit on April 17. “And now the federal government wants to pull the plug? We’re not having it.”

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration is behind the rollback, which Newsom calls “a middle finger to volunteers.”

Meanwhile, Newsom’s office announced that the state is expanding the California Service Corps, the nation’s largest state-run service program.

AmeriCorps has provided pathways for thousands of young people to gain job experience, give back, and uplift underserved neighborhoods. Last year alone, over 6,000 members across the state logged 4.4 million hours, tutoring more than 73,000 students, planting trees, supporting foster youth, and helping fire-impacted families.

The California Service Corps includes four paid branches: the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps, Youth Service Corps, California Climate Action Corps, and AmeriCorps California. Together, they’re larger than the Peace Corps and are working on everything from academic recovery to climate justice.

“DOGE’s actions aren’t about making government work better. They are about making communities weaker,” said GO-Serve Director Josh Fryday.

“These actions will dismantle vital lifelines in communities across California. AmeriCorps members are out in the field teaching children to read, supporting seniors and helping families recover after disasters. AmeriCorps is not bureaucracy; it’s boots on the ground,” he said.