PLACE PROJECT
Hello fellow community member 👋
Welcome to PLACE, we are so happy you found our site! --we can’t wait for you to discover what we have been working on.
We strive to empower students, teachers, and community members to share educational resources and partner with local organizations to create meaningful change.
The Place Project is a student-run organization, we invite you to be an ambitious student, teacher, and community leader. Currently, our website is our online guide to Partnerships for Listening and Action with Communities and Educators. Every Month we update you on community projects, activities, stories, and resources that create a positive environment for change.
What is our key focus?
Creating partnerships that have impact on strengthening our community and creating solutions for housing insecurity
What is our goal?
To inspire the sharing of resources and effective communication that will enrich our community with empathy, understanding, knowledge, and empowered solutions.
What are our values?
We maintain that community is a PLACE fostered by radical hospitality and belonging. We are committed to building partnerships and a national community where decisions, priorities, and accountability are guided by
Shared Power, Shared Voices,and Transparency
Among all participants---community, student, and academic partners we believe that shared listening must lead to shared action
Favorite Quote:
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
- Maya Angelou
Abigial Royster
Abigail Royster is a freshman attending College of the Canyons. She is currently majoring in English with a concentration on Pre-Law Studies, and plans to transfer to a UC school to pursue a Juris Doctorate degree. Royster excels in creative writing, which has helped her greatly in her extracurricular activities. In the past year, she has been involved in theatre arts, and served as Editor in Chief of her senior yearbook. These have inspired her to develop her passion for networking and managing. Royster enjoys being involved in her campus community, and is excited to use her exuberant personality and leadership skills to make connections with her peers.
Lauren Doan
Lauren Down is a second year biochemistry/pre-law student at College of the Canyons. She joined PLACE because of her personal connections with homelessness as well as wanting to be a part of a movement to progress the very community that has been my home for a decade. Besides having a passion for her community, her heart also lies with developing biotechnology as well as writing all facets of literature such as screenplays, novels, poems, and music.
Hey y'all! My name is Steven M. Brentnall (they/them), i'm a genderqueer interdisciplinary artist currently at CSUN studying art education and children's illustration. I graduated from College of the Canyons with a 3.5 GPA in the Spring of 2020 with 3 degrees; Studio Arts, Fine Art Photography, and Commercial Photography. I’ve also taken several Human Resources and Career building
Steven M. Brentnall
Nicole L. Feast-Williams, MPA
Nicole L. Feast-Williams is the Shelter Manager for Bridge to Home. Nicole has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Theory from University of Phoenix, a Master of Public Administration (Leadership and Management) from University of LaVerne and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership.
Ray Appelbaum (he/him)
Rae Appelbaum is an art major at College of the Canyons. He mostly specializes in comics and cartoon illustration; however, he is also involved in many other forms of art. Part of his role in the PLACE project is focusing on art and comic creation to help spread a message and sense of community.
Helena Oda
Helena Oda is second year honors student at College of Canyons pursuing an associate degree in business administration with plans of transferring to a four-year University to obtain a bachelor’s in business economics. Her goals are to incorporate her passion for film and economics to better serve local communities and advocate for fundamental resources.
Patty Robinson
I have worked at College of the Canyons for close to 22 years and have served in various roles at the college, including professor of Sociology, Department Chair of Sociology, and Dean, Social Sciences and Business Division. I have worked for many years with the former Service-Learning program, as well as managed the Honors Program
Peggy Edwards, M.P.A.
is an experienced consultant and facilitator in areas of strategic planning, organization development, community and employee engagement, and board and executive development. She is a subject matter expert in homelessness and community reentry from incarceration, having founded and served as Executive
Jessica Edmond
Jessica Edmond is a native Californian who has been living in Santa Clarita since 1992. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2013 and Master of Arts degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at California State University, Northridge in 2017. She has been teaching English as a Second Language at College of the Canyons (COC) since 2018 and has been a member of the COC Civic Engagement Steering Committee (now the Integrative, Civic, and Community Engagement [ICCE] Workgroup) since 2017. Ms. Edmond’s most transformative civic engagement work has been with the COC PLACE Project (Partnerships for Listening and Action by Communities and Educators). As co-lead of this two-and-a-half-year grant project (2019-2022), she facilitated and witnessed the incredible potential of student-empowered, community-based learning. She continues to work with students and community partners in the ongoing COC PLACE internship program and with the COC ICCE Workgroup.
