The California college community introduced Chancellor Sonya Christian at the Annual Student Media Teleconference, the eleventh permanent chancellor and first female chancellor on Sept. 21.

The teleconferences welcomed students, reporters, editors and advisors to join them and encouraged them all to ask Sonya any questions regarding plans and initiatives within California’s community college.

Christian mentioned was appointed back in February, but she officially started in June. Since then, she has been working with the chancellor’s office team, trying to craft a plan for the 116 community colleges.

She then shared some of her key components of her vision of 2030, stating that Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham jail and its sense of urgency and purpose really inspired her.

Christian then talked “access” for students with low-income jobs, high school diploma, no college credential and so forth. “The definition of access is really going deeper and not just opening a door saying we are here, come find us but instead we are saying, well we are going to come and bring college to you, so that there aren’t any barriers between where a Californian is and their community college.”

She discussed her goals and talked about how community colleges have recently been able to offer baccalaureate programs.

Christian’s vision for 2030 also involves being more proactive in financial aid by drawing down FASFA for their students.

The chancellor and community college presidents are currently brainstorming ideas in which they will support transfer students.