Fueling Civic Ambitions: Community Groundwork

For too long community college graduates have been severely underrepresented in political campaigns, government and nonprofits, yet these students so often hail from the very communities our institutions seek to reach. My name is Michael Ceraso, and I was one of those students.

I joined Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign in New Mexico right after completing my associate’s degree from Citrus Community College and realized quickly that my skill sets and professional networks severely lagged those of my campaign peers, most of whom had completed political internships and training programs – unavailable to two-year students – at four-year schools. I founded Community Groundwork to demystify the process and instill confidence in two-year students that civic careers that change lives are within reach.

Community college students are predominantly low-income women and people of color, who face additional barriers to entering public service careers. By teaching the fundamentals of campaign organizing, digital storytelling, data analysis and legislative policy-making, Community Groundwork prepares students for civic duty while diversifying the field. Participants are also matched with mentors and provided with stipends to supplement any lost wages and cover expenses like transportation or child care. To date, the first-of-its-kind program has prepared dozens of Southern California community college students for public service, matching more than 80% of participants with mentors.

Now, it’s time to build on that success, expanding the nation’s first public service training pipeline for community college students ahead of the critical 2024 election cycle. Before the close of 2023 we will expand beyond our Los Angeles-based roots to both Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Charlotte, North Carolina, Long term, Community Groundwork aims to further transform the offices of leaders nationwide by continuing to expand into battleground states.

Donations to Community Groundwork’s fundraising campaign will allow us to continue cultivating next-generation public servants while championing their underrepresented perspectives.