Karlen Nurijanyan could barely afford a grilled cheese while he attended Santa Monica College in 2010. Fourteen years ago, there was little support for food-insecure students and a larger stigma for those seeking out basic needs.
In College, He Couldn’t Afford A Sandwich. Now He Helps Other Students In Need Get A Good Meal
In the years since, he has started a nonprofit, Student LunchBox, that delivers fresh produce, canned goods, grains, dairy, meat, and poultry across 10 Southern California community colleges and university pantries, helping students in need get easier access to food.
A 2023 fall survey by the Community College League of California found that nearly half of California community college students are food insecure. Rates have improved by about 3% since 2019 — because of pantries and basic needs offerings.
Alone on minimum wage
Two years after emigrating from Armenia with his family in 2008, Nurijanyan enrolled at SMC. He lived alone, without a vehicle and surviving on minimum wage. While financial aid covered some expenses, he found himself constantly looking for his next meal.
“I was only making $11 an hour,” said Nurijanyan of his time in Santa Monica. “The situation got so severe that I would sleep in the middle of my classes so I wouldn’t feel the hunger.”
Nurijanyan later found student aid at the university level, citing UCLA’s Co-Op as a monumental step in reaching his basic needs. He graduated from UCLA, got a master’s degree at California State University, Long Beach,…
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