Bright Spot from the Field – Identifying and Supporting Student Parents at Fresno State

California State University, Fresno is the largest state university in the Central Valley, serving over 25,000 students primarily from the surrounding counties. An estimated 20 percent of students on campus are student parents who are raising one or more children age 18 and under. Fresno State serves as an excellent model for other colleges and universities in California around its work to support student parents, who are more likely to experience unique barriers to success in higher education, such as “time poverty,” a larger debt load, and employment demands. Unfortunately, most colleges and universities largely do not account for this population in their data collection – resulting in their unique needs, challenges, and assets not being reflected in student support efforts and university narratives. Fresno State, however, stands out as a bright spot for its actions, from campus data collection, to marshalling resources to meet students’ basic needs, to creating critical infrastructure supports to understand and support the educational aspirations of its student parents.  

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Karla Fernandez

Communications Manager

Karla Fernandez (she/her/hers) joins Ed Trust–West as a Communications Manager with over 11 years of experience advancing social impact initiatives.

Karla started her career as a teacher at Chicago Public Schools and UIC College Prep. After teaching, Karla joined United Friends of the Children to support LA County’s youth in foster care as a college counselor. Through Leadership for Educational Equity, Karla also served as a Policy Advisor Fellow for the office of a Los Angeles Unified School Board Member. She solidified her interests in policy analysis and quantitative research during her time with the Price Center for Social Innovation, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, and the USC Presidential Working Group on Sustainability. Before joining The Education Trust–West, Karla was the Associate Director for the Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) Collaborative, a network of nonprofits advocating for communities in SELA.

Karla holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Chicago, a Master of Public Policy from the USC Price School of Public Policy, and a Graduate Certificate in Policy Advocacy from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Karla is based out of southern California and is passionate about using data analysis, communications, and digital strategies for policy advocacy and social justice efforts.