Community Spotlight: Saddleback Community College
posted on: December 5, 2025
category: Community Spotlight
On November 7th, 2025, the Open Doors team had the opportunity to spend the day with staff from Saddleback Community College, a public community college located in Mission Viejo and part of the South Orange County Community College District. Saddleback serves more than 40,000 students each year, offering academic programs, career education, and support services that reach learners at many different life stages — including youth and young adults navigating complex personal, academic, and community challenges.
The group included staff from counseling, financial aid, academic support, student services, and outreach. While each department plays a different part in a student’s experience, everyone shared a deep commitment to creating environments where young people feel seen, supported, and safe. This cross-campus representation made the conversations rich, practical, and deeply grounded in the realities their students face every day.
Throughout the training, participants brought forward thoughtful questions, personal insights, and scenarios that highlighted both the challenges and opportunities within higher education settings. Conversations ranged from navigating disclosures and crises, to building trust with students who may carry experiences of harm, to how different departments can partner more intentionally to support holistic student well-being.
Facilitators Kat Besse and Francisco Valverde, reflected on how engaged the group was from the start. Saddleback staff were willing to ask difficult questions, sit with nuance, and reflect on their own practices — all of which strengthened the learning space. Their openness reminded us how powerful collective learning can be when participants bring honesty, curiosity, and shared purpose.
We’re inspired by the group’s interest in expanding Open Doors training across additional departments on campus. This enthusiasm reflects a broader institutional commitment to student-centered support and reinforces the idea that youth-serving work doesn’t belong to one role alone — it is shared across the entire campus community.
As Saddleback continues to serve a wide range of learners, we’re excited to see how staff put their new skills into action. Whether through deeper listening, trauma-aware engagement, or building stronger relational practices, each step contributes to a more connected and supportive environment for students.
Your stories help build a learning community that stretches far beyond the training room.
If you’d like to share an example of how you utilized learnings from the Open Doors training in your life, please email Samantha Suarez, our Communications Project Manager, at ss*****@***fs.org — and we may feature your story in a future newsletter or blog!
