BARSTOW, Calif. (VVNG.com) — U.S. Senator Adam Schiff visited Barstow Community College this week to highlight a $750,000 federal investment aimed at expanding rural mental health services in Barstow and surrounding communities.
According to a written statement, Schiff, alongside Senator Alex Padilla, helped secure the federal funding for the college’s Rural Mental Health Services Program to address unmet mental health care needs in the region.
During his visit, Schiff toured campus facilities connected to the program and participated in a roundtable discussion with students enrolled in the college’s Mathematics, Engineering, Science, and Achievement (MESA) program. The program supports underrepresented students pursuing STEM majors who plan to transfer to four-year colleges and universities.
The discussion focused on college affordability, access to higher education, and concerns students have about the future workforce and technology.
“In this increasingly technological world, in this reasonably small, global world that is now going to be severely disrupted by AI, having a solid education in these STEM fields is just essential,” Schiff said. “I think AI is going to transform the workplace in ways that we have really never seen before and do so with a speed that will be unprecedented also. And I think that really calls on people in Congress to think anew.”
The funding for Barstow Community College is part of approximately $254 million in federal dollars Schiff said he secured for California for the 2026 fiscal year.
Schiff’s visit included discussions with students about affordability challenges and opportunities to improve access to education across California.
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