PRESS RELEASE
City College of San Francisco Student Receives Prestigious State Leadership Award for Championing Student Parents
Heather Brandt played a key role in developing CCSF’s Parent Pathway cohort model and implementing California bill supporting student parents.
Media Contact: Alexandra Céspedes Kent, (510) 413-8445, alexandra@volersa.com
San Francisco, California (May 10, 2025) – Heather Brandt, a student trustee at City College of San Francisco (CCSF), is one of three student leaders statewide to receive the California Community Colleges’ annual Student Leadership Award. The award recognizes her outstanding commitment to equity and her advocacy for expanded support services for students from diverse backgrounds.
Driven by a commitment to enhancing resources for the college community, Brandt has served on several key committees, bringing student voices to the table and advocating for policies addressing systemic inequities. She has held leadership roles with the CCSF Associated Students Executive Council, Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), Ocean Campus Council, and Student Parents United.
“Being a student leader means using our voices to change systems that weren’t designed with us in mind, and doing so with compassion, courage, & purpose. I’m proud to be part of a movement of student leaders who are not only imagining better futures but actively building them,” said Brandt. “This award isn’t just for me. It’s for my children, who inspire me daily to lead with love and resilience. It’s for the students who feel unseen in institutions not built for them. And it’s for the communities I represent — who deserve to thrive, not just survive.”
Brandt, a proud mother of three, was a driving force in the creation of the Parent Pathway cohort model at CCSF, a program designed to support student parents. She was instrumental in the development of a resolution urging the California Community Colleges system to collect data on student parents and their unique needs, and her leadership was pivotal in CCSF’s implementation of AB 2881, a major step forward in recognizing and protecting the rights of student parents statewide.
“Heather Brandt exemplifies the very best of student leadership at CCSF and statewide,” said Interim Chancellor Mitchell Bailey. “Her tireless advocacy for equity, particularly for student parents, reflects a deep commitment to ensuring that every student has the support they need to succeed. She is a powerful voice for change and a true inspiration to us all.”
The awardees were recognized at the Student Senate for California Community Colleges 2025 General Assembly in Los Angeles.
Background: The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports Vision 2030, a strategic plan designed to serve our students, our communities and our planet. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website.
About CCSF: Bringing instruction opportunities since 1935, City College of San Francisco is an urban community college serving tens-of-thousands of students annually at six locations throughout San Francisco. The College offers an affordable opportunity to earn associate degrees, prepare for transfer, pursue career and technical education, and personal development and enrichment. Visit: www.ccsf.edu
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