A BOOST for health students at LACCD
Arata Sakamoto / Contributor
This image shows the exterior of the Helen Miller Bailey Library at East Los Angeles College. One of the colleges that are participating in the BOOST program.
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) is in the process of implementing a new program called Building Outstanding Opportunities for Students to Thrive or otherwise known as BOOST. BOOST selects 250 students pursuing health careers to receive a thousand dollars each month for one year to help students who face financial challenges and might otherwise struggle to continue their education.
The funding for BOOST comes from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and the Young Adults Forward Fund, an initiative of the California Community Foundation. According to the LACCD website, BOOST is the largest Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) program for community college students to date, with 3 million dollars in funding allocated to support the 250 students pursuing careers in healthcare. By doing so, the program aims to close the growing gap between financial aid, wages and the students' cost of living.
Many students at community colleges across the country face financial barriers such as struggles to afford tuition, textbooks, housing and basic necessities like food. These challenges often force students to work multiple jobs, reducing the time they can dedicate to their studies and increasing the likelihood of dropping out before completing their education. According to the National Institutes of Health, 75 percent of US students experience high financial distress. Studies have shown that those students are more likely not to continue their schooling. Financial insecurity can lead to students prioritizing immediate needs, such as housing or food, over their education.
“LACCD is at the forefront of addressing gaps in the healthcare industry, providing programs that prepare students for vital roles like mammography technicians, respiratory therapists and addiction counselors,” said LACCD Board President Nichelle Henderson. “With the launch of BOOST, we are expanding opportunities for students pursuing healthcare careers while strengthening our commitment to the community and the healthcare workforce.”
BOOST is available at four LACCD colleges: East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and Los Angeles Southwest College. This program is not only innovative but also designed to address the acute healthcare labor shortage in the Los Angeles area.
Samo’s College Counselor Ernesto Flores observed that after the pandemic, the two year community college route boomed across the state of California.
“Here within Samo we usually average anywhere from 27 to 30 percent of our students end up going to a two year college for economic reasons or whatever it could be,” Flores said.
According to the Education Data Initiative website, 70% of medical school students use loans to help pay for medical school. These facts may appear discouraging for Samo students who are considering entering the medical field. Edward Wallace (’25) a member of the pre-med club analyzed how LACCD’s BOOST program is a step toward ensuring that financial challenges no longer affect the potential of students entering the healthcare professions.
“Since the medical field is really daunting when you're at this age because it's expensive and you spend all your life doing it,” Wallace said. “So I think this can really help as an incentive for people to pursue this career.”