ben soriano

When Think by the Bay launched at Cal State East Bay in 2023, it began with a straightforward belief: students with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve real pathways into college life. Two years later, that belief has earned national recognition.

Cal State East Bay recently rebuilt its website to help prospective students find answers faster, navigate more intuitively, and see themselves reflected in the University from the first click. It was complex work, marked by tight timelines, constant testing, and decisions that would shape how future students first encountered the campus. It also relied heavily on student employees—people expected not just to assist, but to contribute.

CSU East Bay’s Project Rebound helps a formerly incarcerated student rebuild his future—and strengthens the campus community in the process. When the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) awarded more than $4 million to CSU East Bay’s Project Rebound this summer, it marked a turning point for the university’s work in supporting people transitioning from incarceration to education.