CRC Hawk Talk Alumni Newsletter – September 2026

Welcome from Oscar Mendoza Plascencia, Director, Basic Needs and Student Support

As Director of Basic Needs and Student Support at Cosumnes River College, I am honored to share the story of Hawk CARES and celebrate a decade of expanding access to basic needs resources for our students. For the past 10 years, our college community has worked together to ensure students have access to food assistance, housing support, emergency resources, and services that help them thrive both inside and outside the classroom. The impact of this work is best reflected in the voices of our students.

As one student shared, “The CRC Hawk CARES program has been a tremendous help to me as a CRC student. By providing access to the food market, it has alleviated a lot of stress and made it easier for me to focus on my studies. Knowing that I have reliable support for my basic needs has allowed me to concentrate more on my academic goals and less on worrying about where my next meal will come from. This program has truly been a lifeline for me.”

This milestone is a testament to the collective commitment of our faculty, staff, community partners, alumni, and supporters who understand that when students' basic needs are met, student success becomes possible. Thank you for being part of this journey and for continuing to invest in the well-being and future of our students.

Go Hawks!

Hawk CARES: A Decade of Compassion, Support, and Student Success

This year, Cosumnes River College celebrates the 10th anniversary of Hawk CARES, a program that has become a lifeline for students facing challenges such as food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers, and financial hardship.

Over the past decade, Hawk CARES has grown from a basic needs initiative into a comprehensive support network, highlighted by the opening of the CRC Hawk CARES Center, where students can access resources, services, and a welcoming community.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, community partners, faculty, staff, and volunteers, Hawk CARES has helped thousands of students stay focused on their education and persist toward graduation. As student needs continue to evolve, Hawk CARES remains committed to ensuring every Hawk has the support they need to thrive.

For 10 years, Hawk CARES has been more than a program. It has been a promise that no student has to face life's challenges alone.

Letters to CRC (YouTube Video)

More Students Are Reaching Out. Together, We're There for Them.

Hawk CARES continues to play a vital role in helping students address basic needs challenges that can impact their academic success. Over the past three academic years, both the number of students served and the frequency of service utilization have increased significantly, demonstrating a growing demand for basic needs support at Cosumnes River College.

In 2023-24, Hawk CARES served 1,329 students and recorded 9,050 visits. By 2025-26, those numbers had grown to 1,832 students and 16,401 visits. This represents a 38% increase in students served and an 81% increase in total visits over two years.

These trends show that more students are seeking support and relying on Hawk CARES services on an ongoing basis. As awareness grows and economic challenges continue to affect students and families, Hawk CARES anticipates serving an even greater number of students in 2026-27. Continued investment in resources, partnerships, and programs will be essential to meeting this increasing demand and supporting student success.

Alumni Spotlight: Turning Struggle Into Purpose: Graciela’s Los Rios Journey

When Graciela Castañeda Aguayo first arrived at Cosumnes River College in 2016, she carried the hope of becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college. Her parents had always encouraged her to pursue higher education, and she began college optimistic about what the future might hold. But her path proved anything but straightforward.

“Due to mental health challenges and life circumstances, I dropped out,” Graciela recalls. “I didn’t return to school for several years.”

In 2023, she decided it was time to try again. Graciela returned to the Los Rios Community College District determined to finish what she had started. Going back to school meant making sacrifices, including reducing her work hours—and her income—by more than half so she could focus on her education.

Then, just as a new semester began, her mother was injured and unable to work. Almost overnight, Graciela became the primary financial support for her household, responsible for helping care for her mother and younger brother while also trying to stay in school.

“Suddenly, I was responsible for all the bills,” she says. “Life felt impossible.”

For a student already balancing work, family, and college, the financial crisis could easily have ended Graciela’s education for a second time. Instead, support from the Los Rios community helped her through it.

Graciela received a $1,000 Student Emergency Fund grant, along with utility assistance through the CRC Basic Needs Center. The support helped her family get through an extraordinarily difficult month and allowed Graciela to remain enrolled.

“The emergency fund allowed me to keep the lights on at home and my family fed that month,” she says. “I honestly don’t know how I would have made it without that support.”

This time, Graciela stayed. She earned her associate degree and transferred to California State University, Chico, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Her long-term goal is to build a career in higher education leadership, supporting students who face many of the same challenges she once did. And she’s already begun doing just that. Today, Graciela is back at Los Rios, working at Sacramento City College’s Basic Needs Center while completing her bachelor’s degree. The student who once needed help keeping her own family afloat now spends her days helping other students find the resources they need to keep moving forward.

“My career goal has always been to give back to Los Rios, the community that has given so much to me, and to work in higher education leadership roles supporting students like me,” she says.

For Graciela, Los Rios was more than where she earned her degree. It was a community that showed her the difference timely support can make.

“Los Rios has shaped me to be who I am now,” she says. “The Student Emergency Fund allowed me to focus on my educational goals.”

Now, as Graciela works toward becoming the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, she is turning that opportunity outward, helping other students navigate their own difficult moments and continue toward the futures they envision for themselves.

Athletics Day of Giving

Building Champions in the Classroom, Competition, and Life

At Cosumnes River College, we strive to make CRC Athletics a first choice, not a fallback option. Thanks to the support of our alumni, donors, and community, CRC Athletics has become one of California's top community college athletic programs, achieving 12 consecutive semesters with a department GPA above 3.0 and celebrating outstanding success in postseason competition. But our greatest achievement is our student athletes. Every day, they balance academics, training, work, and family responsibilities while pursuing their goals. Our coaches and staff are committed to helping them succeed both on and off the field.

On September 16, CRC Athletics will participate in the inaugural Los Rios Athletics Day of Giving. Support from alumni and friends will help fund two important priorities: providing nutritious food for student athletes through our Student-Athlete Learning Center and completing the CRC Athletics Wall of Excellence, which will honor more than five decades of Hawk Athletics history.

Every gift helps remove barriers, expand opportunities, and invest in the success of current and future Hawks. Thank you for believing in our student athletes and the life-changing impact of CRC Athletics.

Talons Up!

Collin Pregliasco, Dean of Kinesiology, Health and Athletics Athletic Director, Cosumnes River College

Donate Today

Student Athletes Continue to Set the Standard for Success in the Classroom

For the 12th consecutive semester, Cosumnes River College student-athletes have posted a combined GPA above a 3.0, continuing a tradition of academic and athletic excellence that has established CRC as one of California's premier community college destinations for student-athletes.

Cosumnes River College student-athletes recorded a combined 3.337 grade-point average during the Spring 2026 semester, reinforcing CRC Athletics' commitment to both academic achievement and championship-level competition.

"What makes these accomplishments even more impressive is that our student-athletes are achieving them while competing in one of the most competitive community college conferences in the state, if not the nation," said Collin Pregliasco, Dean of Kinesiology, Health, and Athletics and Athletic Director. "They continue to prove that academic excellence and high-level athletic competition can go hand in hand."

CRC saw eight of its ten athletic programs qualify for postseason competition during the 2025-26 academic year, including a trip to the 3C2A State Championship Tournament by the softball program. The department also recorded a 3.401 cumulative GPA for the 2025-26 academic year, the highest annual GPA in CRC Athletics history.

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Save the Date: CRC's Dinner and a Show

November 5, 2026

More details to come.