Success in life leads to success in classroom

As students settle into the new semester, some may be learning to juggle schoolwork and various life demands. Palo Alto College offers many resources available to support students outside of the classroom so they can do their best academically.

The S.H.A.R.E. (Student Health, Advocacy, Resource, and Engagement) Center, located in the Student Center, is a hub of non-academic resources to address various challenges students face while pursuing education. Through grant-funded resources and partnerships with community organizations, the S.H.A.R.E. Center provides food, clothing, financial literacy, career preparation, health screenings, and referrals to additional support services. These resources help ensure students can continue making progress toward bettering their lives through higher education when unexpected life situations arise.

Since opening in December 2016, the S.H.A.R.E. Center has provided nearly 8,000 services to over 4,300 individual students. Data from the 2017-2018 academic year shows that students who utilized the resources were more likely to complete their semester and re-enroll the following semester.

Here are just a few of the S.H.A.R.E. Center's resource offerings:

Career Preparation

In addition to the Goodwill Clothes Closet which offers free professional clothing to currently enrolled students for interviews, internships, or networking events, the S.H.A.R.E Center has a Senior Career Advisor who can conduct mock interviews, review resumes, and provide one-on-one career advising to help students plan for their futures. Additionally, students can use Purple Briefcase, a career preparation tool specifically designed for students, which includes a smartphone app, video tutorials, and ways to connect with and follow employers to view and apply for jobs and internships.

Financial Wellness

The Financial Literacy Advisor connects students to in-person and online financial literacy training on topics such as budgeting, money management, credit, and smart borrowing to help students build financial security.

When students face unforeseen, unplanned, and unavoidable events that require them to secure funds on short notice, they can apply for the Emergency Aid Program (EAP). One-time grants of up to $1,000 provide limited, short-term financial assistance to students who are struggling with emergency circumstances that could jeopardize their chances of earning a degree or certificate. Students who utilize the EAP then receive individualized education specific to financial literacy in an effort to facilitate their long-term financial wellness.

Health Services

The BAEBSAFE Program provides abstinence-based education and reproductive health programming for students and partners with local health care agencies to provide referrals for students, including HIV, STD, and pregnancy testing. This spring, BAEBSAFE is launching a partnership with the Texas Diaper Bank to provide student parents with free children's diapers and provide female students with free feminine hygiene products.

Healthy Hub

Powered by an AmeriCorps VISTA team, the Healthy Hub provides nutritional resources to students and the community. They host regular food demonstrations on campus, teaching recipes for healthy eating (free food included!). The Palo Alto College Farmers Market is held on the last Monday of each month and features food and goods from local vendors. Stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables, and more at the Palo Alto College Food Fair, hosted in partnership with the San Antonio Food Bank to provide healthy food to students and the surrounding community. Vouchers are required but are free and available for pick up in the S.H.A.R.E. Center (Student Center 101). The next Food Fair will be held on Friday, Feb. 22.

These are just a few of the services the S.H.A.R.E. Center offers students to help them achieve student success in and outside of the classroom. To learn more about these and other resources at the S.H.A.R.E. Center, visit alamo.edu/pac/share.