Richard Van Horne shown on the job as an Electrical Instrumentation Supervisor at the GAF shingle manufacturing plant

Two-Year Ticket to Success

Education
Bakersfield College bachelor’s graduate fast-tracked his path to high-paying career in industrial automation by Andy Furillo With a mother with a doctorate and a father who teaches high school, Richard Van Horne always figured his [...]
Vasthy Repak standing and smiling for the camera

A Different Path

Adult Education
After embracing her parents’ advice on education, Vasthy Repak earned AS and BS degrees from community colleges by Dorsey Griffith Vasthy Repak’s construction worker father and homemaker mother, both of whom immigrated from Mexico, pushed [...]
Aneesa Mustafa standing outside and smiling for the camera
Adult Education

Doubling Up

Berkeley student bound for a medical career says high school/community college dual-enrollment helped her achieve scholastic success by M.S. Enkoji Aneesa Mustafa is on her way to becoming a doctor, studying at the University of […]

Vanessa Munguia in scrubs standing with her arms crossed and smiling for the camera
Adult Education

A Pathway Back

San Diego College of Continuing Education helps former (and future) nurse find a way back to chosen career by M.S. Enkoji Vanessa Munguia was three years into her career as a registered nurse in Guadalajara, […]

Lina Caro Flores standing in front of the Lake Tahoe Community College sign
Adult Education

Breaking the Cycle

Rising Scholars Network helps launch Lake Tahoe Community College Student on path to higher education and advocacy work by Brett Callwood Lina Caro Flores’ teens and early 20s were marred by crime and addiction. She […]

Portrait of formerly incarcerated Jose Romero at Palomar College where he partipates in the Rising Scholars program. He’s also a student at Calfornia State University San Marcos. In the background is the school’s longtime landmark dome that houses the gymnasium.
Adult Education

Incarceration to Inspiration

After serving 26 years in prison, Palomar College graduate Jose Romero wants to show others that rehabilitation is possible by Dorsey Griffith Growing up the son of addicted parents with a history of gang affiliation […]

Clifford Haines in a suit smiling for the camera
Adult Education

A Fighting Chance

Formerly incarcerated student finds educational success with support from Rising Scholars Network by Brett Callwood When Clifford Haines was released from Soledad State Prison on September 1, 2021, after serving a five-year sentence, the life […]

Portrait of Steve Chika at Cuyamaca College where he attended ESL classes.
Adult Education

The Drive to Succeed

Long-time caregiver gears up for a new career in automotive technology thanks to union/college partnership by Andy Furillo “I am a member of the UDW, since 2006. They support me very well, take care of […]

Eunice Worrel-Santos standing in front of the North Orange Continuing Education building
Adult Education

Accounting for the Golden Years

Caregiver takes advantage of union/college partnership to learn a new trade, bolster finances for retirement by Andy Furillo Closing in on the big 6-0, Eunice Worrel-Santos is starting to think about retirement, and it looks […]

Portrait of Roxana de Hernandez at her apartment in Santee
Adult Education

Endless Optimism, New Opportunities

After a long and difficult journey, immigrant caregiver finds support, pathway to education through union/college partnership by Dorsey Griffith Roxana de Hernandez is an in-home caregiver for her 20-year-old daughter, who is non-verbal and has […]

Darcy Totten in front of the Capitol building in Sacramento
Community

Equality for All

Will the U.S. finally ratify the Equal Rights Amendment? by Dorothy Korber In 1923, buoyed by the victory that won American women the right to vote, suffragettes tackled their next goal: amending the U.S. Constitution […]

Enrique Anchondo standing with his arms crossed and smiling for the camera
Employment

Turning Job Loss Into a New Career

Workforce layoff leads to rewarding opportunities in construction by Matthew Craggs Workforce Connection was there to provide Enrique Anchondo with the tools to succeed in the construction industry after Bitwise Industries closed in 2023, laying […]

Santiago Pino providing hands-on cement masonry training to ValleyBuild participants.
Employment

Cementing a Future

Central Valley Workshops That Pave the Way to Careers in Masonry by Raul Clement For over a decade, ValleyBuild, a pre-apprenticeship program in the Central Valley, has provided aspiring workers with a critical introduction to […]

Rick O’Daniel, in a blue shirt, speaks to several people in high visibility work clothing
Employment

Building Futures, One Volunteer at a Time

How ValleyBuild and Habitat for Humanity are Preparing Skilled Workers and Strengthening Communities by Raul Clement ValleyBuild, a construction apprenticeship readiness program offered by the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board, has partnered with the Greater […]

Ilustración gráfica de dos niños mirando un frasco gigante de medicamento con una calavera y huesos cruzados
Recuperación de Medicamentos

Proteja Nuestras Vías Fluviales

Aprenda cómo y por qué es importante deshacerse de los medicamentos no utilizados, y fácil por Thea Marie Rood Read in English Todos hemos tenido la experiencia: tal vez su pareja no necesitó los analgésicos […]

About us

SPOTLIGHT is the home for digital storytelling—produced by the team of journalists at N&R Publications—for public and private organizations with complex stories to tell. If you’ve got an important story that needs to be told, contact publications@newsreview.com

Meet the sponsors