The Collegian believes that journalism should do more than spotlight what’s broken. It should also search for what’s working. This year, our newsroom is proud to join the Solutions Journalism Student Media Challenge, partnering with the Solutions Journalism Network to bring meaningful, solutions-focused reporting to our campus.
In this issue we are launching “Beyond the Border,” a reporting project that explores how immigrant and undocumented students rebuild their lives, care for their mental health, and find belonging in a new country.
In January 2025, Delta College reaffirmed its commitment as a sanctuary campus. But what does “sanctuary” truly mean? Does it translate to safety, or is it just a phrase on paper? Through in-depth reporting and student voices, we’ll examine how those promises play out in an era of anti-immigrant rhetoric, policy shifts, and emotional uncertainty.
Our coverage will focus on solutions: the programs, people, and policies helping students heal and thrive. From mental health services and Dreamer-support programs to cultural reconnection and access to resources, we’ll highlight what’s working and where gaps remain.
Mental health is one of the most urgent issues on our campus. According to Delta’s 2023 Campus Climate Survey, nearly half of students expressed concern about their well-being, and many reported difficulty talking about it. Our goal is to bring those conversations into the open, especially for students whose immigration status often silences them.
“Beyond the Border” is about both reporting and listening to stories of fear and hope, of leaving and belonging. It’s about understanding that sanctuary isn’t just a place or a policy, but a promise, a collective effort to make every student feel seen, safe, and whole again.
With the mentorship, resources and training offered through the Solutions Journalism Student Media Challenge, we’re prepared to elevate our work, connect with our community, and contribute to how student newsrooms drive change.
Beyond the Border is a 12-page special section culminating Collegian’s solutions journalism work. It examined support and services available to the immigrant population at San Joaquin Delta College on campus and beyond.
It was produced by the advanced staff members for Collegian in the 2025-2026 semester under the guidance of Zack Kirk-Newton, Andrea Baltodano, and Levi Goerzen.
Work in Progress is a project of the Mass Communication/Journalism program at San Joaquin Delta College under the direction of Zack Kirk-Newton, Editor at Large for The Collegian. The project is part of Collegian’s Solutions Journalism Network Student Media Challenge project for the 2025-26.
The topic of mental health was explored within the series. As part of the reporting, Collegian student editors noted a need to dig deeper into mental health as it relates to the college’s most vulnerable populations, including our LGBTQIA+ community.
Editor’s Note: This story is part of Collegian’s 2025-26 work as part of the Solutions Journalism Network Student Media Challenge. Read more about the project here. On Dec. 17, 2024, the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve Resolution #23-030, reaffirming Delta’s status as a sanctuary campus. The specific verbiage in […]
When Manjot Singh first arrived at San Joaquin Delta College, he spent months sleeping in his car. An international student who entered the United States alone, Singh said he didn’t know where to ask for help, what resources he qualified for or how to navigate campus life. “I slept seven months in the car,” he […]
By the time the first class starts each semester at Delta College, the campus is already alive with diverse voices. It moves through the quad in fragments of conversation — English folding into Spanish, Punjabi, Tagalog and other languages on the way to class. It’s in the students eating food packed from home kitchens, in […]
The statistics provided represent the immigration population and how beneficial their presence is as an economic boost for the area. The data on the left represent the California District 9 immigrant population and percentages as indicated. The data graphic on the right shows the percentages of immigrants in San Joaquin County as labeled. Each bubble […]
Before she became an academic advisor helping students navigate college, Marisol Corona remembers struggling to order a pizza in English at 11 years old. She translated incorrectly for her mother, misunderstanding a single word, and watched as a simple meal turned into a moment of embarrassment. “I felt like I let my family down,” Corona […]
For students navigating immigration fears, identity-based discrimination or other instability, getting help can begin with a simple but difficult question: Where do I go first? At Delta College, that question is part of what S.P.A.R.K. — Student Protection for Advocacy, Resources and Knowledge — was created to address. Established in February 2025, the cross-campus initiative […]
For the immigrant, Hispanic and Latino communities it’s been a difficult few years. With ICE arrests now hitting 1,100 per day, as reported by the New York Times, more and more the communities feel fearful not just for themselves, but their families and loved ones, regardless of citizenship status. “The threat of immigration enforcement can […]
On Jan. 13 the city of Stockton passed an initiative declaring Stockton as a “Compassionate City.” Modeling their policy after other compassionate cities and the sanctuary city policies San Joaquin Delta College based their own sanctuary policy off of. This policy comes an entire year after Delta College established itself as a sanctuary campus, Delta […]
The path to higher education is often meant with bumps in the road for students. For immigrant students, the road is often more winding and challenging. Whether they left their home country to pursue bigger opportunities, or left to embrace new challenges, the reality once here is sometimes culture shock, particularly in navigating a foreign […]
San Joaquin Delta College has resources for the immigrant population to help in case of a situation with ICE but also legal services and programs to assist with necessities. Outside of SJDC, many individuals may not know the resources in their area that can assist with necessities, legal services, educating or pathways to citizenship. EL […]
According to the California Student Aid Commission, In 2021-22, only 29 to 30 percent of undocumented students who applied for financial aid ultimately enrolled in school. And only 14 percent of undocumented students in California receive state aid. Financial aid is one of the many areas where the immigrant population faces struggles. Campus resources allow […]
