On August 9th 2016, Youth UpRising partnered with Peralta Colleges to host a town hall on the accessibility of higher education in our East Oakland community. Chancellor Jowel Laguerre discussed the various academic opportunities available at the four Peralta colleges, and specifically highlighted Merritt College's cyber-security program. The program trains students in solutions to cyber crimes such as cyber hacks, identity theft, and more. With the increased demand for cyber-security, the program is a great option for young people looking to get an additional certification. Most importantly, the program at Merritt caters to young people who face significant barriers to education: credit attainment time is shorter, science and math requirements are limited, and paid internships are readily available. We look forward to building our continued partnership with Peralta Colleges in order to achieve greater educational attainment in our community!