PT Counselor - Justice Scholars; Categorically Funded

Salary: $68.22 - $86.78 Hourly

Job Type:

Job Number: PT-COUNS-Justice Scholars 2026

Closing: 10/23/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Location:

11110 Alondra Blvd., Norwalk, CA

Department: PT-COUNS-Justice Scholars 2026

Division:
Student Equity and Success

The District is strongly committed to achieving staff diversity and the principles of equal opportunity employment. The District encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation in any of its policies, procedures or practices. In fact, the college encourages applications from all segments of qualified people.

This position will close on October 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM

Cerritos College is ranked 14th among the top 100 schools with the highest Hispanic enrollment in the United States by the United States Department of Education. Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college's district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs, and South Gate.

Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas of study in nine divisions. Enrollment currently averages 20,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at http://www.cerritos.edu.

The Justice Scholars Program, within the Division of Student Equity and Success at Cerritos College, is dedicated to supporting incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and other justice-impacted students. The program provides educational opportunities in detention facilities and on-campus delivering comprehensive support services to promote student success and persistence. The program is also part of the Rising Scholars Network, a statewide initiative across California Community Colleges committed to expanding access and support for justice-impacted students.

Under the direction of the Manager of the Justice Scholars Program, the Academic Counselor divides assigned time between Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, where Cerritos College provides educational services to pre-adjudicated youth, and the Cerritos College campus. The counselor provides holistic academic, career, and personal counseling services to current and formerly justice-involved students, as well as economically and socially disadvantaged students, to promote enrollment, retention, persistence, and the successful attainment of their educational and career goals.

The counselor filling this role will work with Cerritos College Justice Scholars students at the Los Padrinos juvenile detention center and on campus.

The Counselor will provide specialized academic counseling services, career guidance, and advisement to students from diverse backgrounds for the purpose of developing and facilitating the attainment of their academic, vocational, and personal objectives. The position requires demonstrated ability to work effectively with justice-involved populations, faculty, staff, and external partners, and to navigate the unique requirements of custodial educational environments.

The academic counselor serves in a key operational and student-facing role within the Justice Scholars program, providing on-site academic support in a juvenile detention setting while also exposing campus-based programs and services to formerly incarcerated and system-impacted on-campus students. The position requires demonstrated ability to work effectively with justice-involved populations, faculty, staff, and external partners, and to navigate the unique requirements of custodial educational environments.

Unlike general academic counseling roles, this position functions in close collaboration with the Justice Scholars manager and program facilitator and designs academic planning around the scheduled general education courses for Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall rather than assuming traditional on-campus Comprehensive Student Educational Plans.

• Provide sustained, holistic, and individualized counseling to assist justice-involved students to set academic and career goals, create education plans, and track their progress toward a degree or certificate.
• Assist students in creating and updating Comprehensive Student Educational Plans (CSEP) tailored…