By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.
A program through the San Mateo County Community College District is leading students affected by the juvenile justice system into higher education, an over-decade model for interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline throughout the state.
A presentation on Project Change was given to the community college district’s Board of Trustees March 25, highlighting the impact the juvenile justice program has had for any young person who was arrested, detained or referred to probation before the age of 25.
To Tiffany Cauyong, the juvenile justice program was pivotal in transforming her time as an incarcerated youth into a passion and majoring in administration of justice.
“Project Change was essential in me bridging that gap between incarceration at such a young age and college,” Cauyong said to trustees. “At a young age, I was not aware, and it was a lot to navigate that whole process without any type of support.”
The program, the Youth Law Center’s Pathways to Higher Education project and a state fellowship has led Cauyong to see a life’s work based on her lived experiences, she said. She plans to work on “building and bettering systems already in place.”
“I feel like Project Change, the Youth Law Center, it’s essential in spaces like juvenile halls and for any youth that’s currently struggling within the system,” Cauyong said.
In May 2025, a graduation inside the Youth Services Center for Hillcrest School celebrated three students who completed associate degrees for transfer while inside — two are going to Sonoma State University and one at San Francisco State University.
Five other graduates celebrated finishing high school while in the facility — all of which are matriculating in Skyline College.
“They keep going because we met them in the facility and we’re getting them to transfer,” Aaron McVean, vice chancellor of Education Services and Planning, said.
Project Change was first established at the College of San Mateo in 2013, and the success of the program led to the program’s expansion at each of the three district’s campuses. The program is sustained largely by grants funded by the state’s Rising Scholars Juvenile Justice Program. The College of San Mateo, Skyline College and Cañada College all participate in coordinating and offering classes at Hillcrest, the court school within the county’s Youth Services Center, or juvenile hall.
There are currently 111 students in Project Change across the three colleges, and the majority of students receiving the support are underrepresented minorities.
The program’s success has extended far beyond San Mateo County, as well, McVean said.
In 2022, the state allocated an ongoing $15 million to community college systems for juvenile justice programming. More than 40 colleges throughout the state have a program based on the model of Project Change.
Further state legislation has required probation officers to offer higher education opportunities for incarcerated youth and for programs to be able to offer dual enrollment credits, McVean said.