Laylah Rivers, a former paratrooper and tech worker, enrolled at West Los Angeles College at 31. She discovered she could earn college credits for her prior work experience. California's community colleges have expanded ways to award credits for work experience since 2017. Governor Gavin Newsom has supported this with over $34 million in funding. He's proposing another $37 million this year. By 2030, the goal is for 250,000 students to earn credits this way. However, tracking these credits is inconsistent across colleges. Rivers believes the process should be more integrated into registration. The initiative helps students save money and time, increasing graduation rates.
