Restoring Our Communities (ROC) is an academic support program at 91心頭利 College, by and for formerly incarcerated students. ROC is about supporting and equipping formerly incarcerated* (FI) students with the tools to be successful at 91心頭利 College and beyond.
- STUDENT COMMUNITIES
- A2MEND
- Adult Education
- Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI LEAD)
- Associated Students of 91心頭利 College (ASLC)
- EOPS, CARE, NextUP & CalWORKs
- Gateway To College
- Latinx Cultural Center
- Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA)
- Puente Program
- Queer Community Center (QCC)
- Restoring Our Communities (ROC)
- STEM Core
- Undocumented Community Resource Center (UCRC)
- Umoja-UBAKA
- Veteran Resource Center (VRC)
We are dedicated to eliminating the stigma of being formerly incarcerated and reversing the effects of mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline. Our goal is to support students from reentry to graduation and/or transfer.
We provide a safe space in a therapeutic learning community where FI students can feel a sense of validation and belonging. Our space provides opportunities for peer mentoring and peer advising. Peer mentoring is student-to-student guidance on things like what classes to take, who is a good professor, how to be a good student etc. Peer advising is ambassador and staff support on how to apply for transfer, how to use assist.org, what it is like being at a university etc. Both peer mentoring and peer advising provide social capital for FI students who usually are also first-generation students as well.
Eligibility
To be eligible for our program you must be:
- A 91心頭利 College student+
- Enrolled in at least 3 units
- A student who was formerly incarcerated*
+91心頭利 College is your home campus (the majority of units are at 91心頭利 College)
*Former incarceration can include simple arrest, juvenile or womens detention, city and/or county jail, state and/or federal prison, or military, immigrant or psychiatric detention.
Services
Onboarding
- Support with and 91心頭利 College application
- Support filling out (Financial Aid)
- Support with using Campus Solutions and Canvas
Academic Assistance
- Informal Tutoring** (student and staff support)
- Peer mentoring
- Staff advising+
- Academic Counseling
- University Transfer Assistance and Support
Housing Referral
- (BACS)
Clean Slate
- Alameda County Public Defenders Office
Material Support
- Direct Assistance and Matched Savings ()
- Weekly BART Tickets
- Books and Supplies
**Dependent on office conditions and student or staff availability.
+Not counseling.
ROC & CTE Partnership
ROC pipelines formerly incarcerated students into living wage job industries through community partnerships and 91心頭利 College's Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. ROC works closely with 91心頭利's CTE faculty and staff to provide workforce training support. Programs that have committed to work with formerly incarcerated students include:
- Culinary
- Cosmetology
- Environmental Control Technology (HVAC, Building Automation & Maintenance)
- Machining
- Welding
- Wood Technology
Through our community partnerships, ROC provides pathways to employment opportunities for students who are enrolled in our CTE programs.
Resources
EOPS, CARE, NextUp and CalWORKs
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EOPS is an academic support program for first generation students (students who are the first in their family to attend college), low-income (students who qualify for BOG fee waiver) and disadvantaged students of color (African American, Latino or Native American).
-
CARE is a supplemental component of EOPS for single parents on Welfare (TANF).
-
Next Up (formerly CAFYES) is an academic support program for former or current foster youth or probation youth.
-
The 91心頭利 CalWORKs Program is for students on Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF).
Disabled Student Program and Services (DSP&S) is a program that determines and provides support for academic accommodations for students with disabilities.
Veterans Affairs is an academic support program for students who are veterans of the United States Armed Services.
Umoja-UBAKA is a program with a focus on supporting African American students (but all students can apply) success.
Community Resources (Education)
: A program for formerly incarcerated and systems impacted students at UC Berkeley. For more information contact Azadeh Zohrabi at azadehzohrabi@berkeley.edu.
: A program for formerly incarcerated at San Francisco State University. For more information, contact projectrebound@asi.sfsu.edu.
: A program for formerly incarcerated students at Merritt College. For more information contact Ron Moss at ronmoss@gambleinstitute.org.
: A program for formerly incarcerated students at College of Alameda. For more information contact New Dream Coordinator Tia Barnes at tbarnes@peralta.edu.
Community Financial Resources (CFR)
CFR hosts workshops for our participants and the campus community on topics like debt management, credit building and management, and budgeting (among other topics). They provide our members with a pre-paid debit card (US Bank Focus Card). For more information about CFR, click this .
Record Relief
We refer students (who qualify) to the Alameda Countys Public Defenders Clean Slate Program and are building relationships with other County Public defenders Offices in California. We assist students with drafting their Letter to the Judge and we write a ROC Letter of Support on their behalf. For more information, click this .
Sparkpoint Oakland
ROC has partnered with Sparkpoint/EBALDC to provide financial coaching to our students. Sparkpoint provides financial coaching to help students with building, maintaining, or establishing credit, learning how to start and follow a budget, tax preparation, and specialized services like direct assistance and the matched savings program. Contact ROC Staff for more information.
Education & Career Guide for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
Click this to access Study.coms guide for formerly incarcerated students offers in-depth information in several areas, including:
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Information on different re-entry assistance programs
-
Getting your GED after incarceration
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Financial aid & scholarships for previously incarcerated individuals
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Finding employment after incarceration
FAQs
- I am currently incarcerated. Can I apply for school?
- Yes, you can. Whoever is enrolling on your behalf should make sure they have ALL of your information (email, birthdate, social security number) and tie your application to an email they have access to. They should also record and send you all of the usernames, passwords, and security questions for your CCCID*, and FSAID**.
- Wont felonies keep me from getting financial aid?
- It depends. Your financial aid may be affected if you caught a drug conviction while you were receiving financial aid. If you did not catch a drug conviction while receiving financial aid, you should have no problems. For more information, click .
- Can I enroll without a High School Diploma or GED?
- Yes you can. However, you will be unable to receive financial aid. For more information, click .
- I was just released and its the middle of the semester. Can I still enroll?
- Yes you can. However, if there are no late start classes available, you will have to wait for the following semester to take classes. In this time, you can finish the Student Support and Success Program (formerly matriculation) which consists of ; completing an assessment test or the , seeing a counselor and completing a Student Educational Plan (SEP) with the counselor. For more information, click .
- I have college credits already. Can I use them instead of taking the same class at 91心頭利?
- Possibly. You will have to get your official transcripts from the school you received credit at and bring them to your counseling appointment. (Note: to be official, a counselor has to open the unopened transcripts during your counseling appointment. If you open the letter with your official transcripts enclosed, they will no longer be official and you will have to send for them again.) The counselor will determine if your credits articulate (meaning 91心頭利 College accepts them as equivalent courses).
- What are the first steps I need to take to enroll?
- The first step is to apply through (make sure you choose 91心頭利 College as your home campus). (Note: make sure you have access to whatever email you use to set up your account. You will receive vital information through this email and if you do not have access to it, you will run into a lot of problems.)
- Once you have created your CCCID, complete your application for 91心頭利 College. It takes 48 hours for 91心頭利 College to receive your information and send you your student ID/username and password (sometimes it happens in an hour so check your email). You will need this information to complete the 91心頭利 College .
- While you are waiting to receive your student ID/username and password, complete your FAFSA. If you have never created an , you will have to create one to complete the .
- Where is your office located?
- We are located on the second floor of the E Building in Room 203. The E Building is on the West part of the campus off of East 8th Street (if youre coming from East Oakland) or 7th Street (if youre coming from Downtown Oakland). We are right across the street from student and staff/faculty parking lot A. Please refer to the campus map.
- Is the campus open?
- Yes, the campus is open but most classes are still online. If you cant find the class you need on campus (in-person), you may need to take the class online. They have two different types of online classes: online lectures (where you have to log into Zoom at certain days and times) or non-lecture online classes (where you work at your on pace; finishing online assignments weekly). Choose whichever one works for you. ROC Staff can help, so come by the office if you need support.
- What if I dont have a computer?
- ROC loans Chromebooks and so does 91心頭利 College. Please the technology resources and support page for more information.
*CCCID is the profile created on .
**FSAID is the profile created for FAFSA (Financial Aid) at .
We provide a stigma-free space where you can study, learn and grow with other like-minded students. If you are formerly incarcerated and thinking about returning to school, please visit us in the E building, Room 203, so that we can assist you with the steps for enrolling in CCCApply (and creating your CCCID), FAFSA (and creating your FSAID) and 91心頭利 College.
*Former incarceration can include simple arrest with no conviction, juvenile and/or womens detention, city and/or county jail, state and/or federal prison, military or immigrant detention.
+Academic and material support is based on the amount of resources the program has for the semester. Support is conditional and dependent on the student remaining in good standing with the program.

Student Services Specialist
Vincent Garrett
(510) 464-3411
vgarrett@peralta.edu
Student Services Specialist
Elisa Leon
(510) 464-3456
eleon@peralta.edu
Office Hours
Monday Thursday
8:00am 6:00pm
Friday
10:00am 6:00pm
Location
E Building, Room 203 (E203)
Getting Started
If you are interested in our services and you qualify for the program, you can begin the process of becoming a participant by coming into our office and applying or by filling out the interest form below. Once you have completed the interest form, we will call you to schedule a day to come by our office in Building E, Room 203 to meet with our staff. If you have any questions or run into any problems, feel free to call us at (510) 464-3411.
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