Growing Inland Achievement selected as a client for UC Riverside’s capstone project to develop policy solutions for returning adult learners in the Inland Empire.
INLAND EMPIRE, CA – Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) has been selected as a client for this year’s UC Riverside School of Public Policy (SPP) Master of Public Policy (MPP) capstone project. This unique program connects organizations with second-year MPP students to tackle critical issues through applied research and policy analysis.
GIA’s project will focus on identifying effective policies to support returning adult learners in the Inland Empire. A team of three talented students—Veronica Ibarra, Denise Mayen, and Jesica Santiago—will lead this research under the academic direction of Dr. Andy Crosby, Assistant Professor of Teaching at UCR’s SPP, and with support from the Center for Community Solutions (CCS).
Dr. Justine Ross, Executive Director of the Center for Community Solutions in UCR’s School of Public Policy shares, “Our Center’s mission is to connect academic research with practice and policy, so we are grateful to count Growing Inland Achievement as a partner in this effort and excited for the UCR School of Public Policy’s master’s students to gain real-world experience developing evidence-based recommendations to the benefit adult learners in our region.”
This collaborative effort will run from January to June, delivering actionable insights to inform GIA’s work in fostering equitable educational and economic opportunities for adult learners in the region.
“We’re excited to collaborate with the exceptional students and faculty at UC Riverside to explore solutions that address the challenges faced by adult learners in our region,” said Ashish Vaidya, CEO of GIA. “This partnership offers a valuable opportunity to bring new insights to an issue that is critical to our mission.”
About Growing Inland Achievement
Growing Inland Achievement (GIA) serves the Inland Empire region of Southern California—the 12th largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S., including over 4.7 million residents and over one million students. GIA supports a regional cross-sector network of education, government, nonprofit, and business partners, collectively working to achieve a shared vision of educational and economic success. GIA’s shared vision is that by 2035, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties will be widely recognized for their educated workforce, thriving communities, and vibrant economy that creates prosperity for all.