ADVANCE sees people as individuals and asks ‘What do you need?’
For students, success depends on more than academic support—it lies in supporting them both in and outside the classroom. For Riley Hinkson, that support came from Meredith Crosby, transition navigator with ADVANCE.
“She’s been cheering me on the whole time, she’s been incredibly supportive and super accepting,” Hinkson says. “Having that enthusiastic support for me … really makes it that much better.”
In 2020, Hinkson—who identifies as transgender—found themselves cut off from family and on their own. In search of a more sustainable future, they joined the California Conservation Corps, where they not only found a new job they loved, but the training and college education to make a career out of it.
“Having people who are there and who are enthusiastic about my goals and what I want to achieve in my life helps give me the motivation to keep on pushing on some days I just want to quit.”
Riley Hinkson, ADVANCE client
As college liaison for the CCC’s Tahoe Center, Crosby helps corpsmembers like Hinkson navigate the college system with things like enrollment, financial aid options and creating academic plans. Luckily, that’s not where support ends. ADVANCE navigators can connect students with community resources for health care, mental health care, housing, food insecurity and more.
“We meet clients where they’re at and we also offer wraparound services. … It’s really looking at the individual and what they need in their lives to be successful,” Crosby explains. “Two people can have a goal, … but how they reach that goal can be drastically different based on the individual. As a navigator, it’s my job to help guide individuals to a pathway that meets their needs.”
For Hinkson, such support included help handling the formal bureaucracy involved in legally changing their name and gender as well as emotional support during more personal trials and tribulations.
“Whether it be my personal life or academics, I’m always able to talk to her about it. She’s been an incredible sounding board for me because she has such great advice,” Hinkson says. “My family doesn’t support me but having people who are there and who are enthusiastic about my goals and what I want to achieve in my life helps give me the motivation to keep on pushing when on some days I just want to quit.”
For more information, visit www.advance-learnearngrow.org/.
Written by Anne Stokes.
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Northern California | Careers in Manufacturing-Construction |
