A Trico education doesn’t stop at the edge of the classroom. For social worker Tia Leabu and business teacher Jonathan Reiman, the mission is to meet students where they are—sometimes in crisis, often in uncertainty—and give them the tools to build a stronger future.

Leabu began as a Coordinator for Student Success while working on her master’s degree and earning her Professional Educator License in school social work. Today, she serves primarily in the junior high, providing counseling, coordinating resources, and leading social-emotional lessons. She also carries the responsibility of McKinney-Vento liaison, a federal role designed to ensure that students facing housing instability or family crises are supported in their education. “Sometimes it’s food, sometimes hygiene items, sometimes a new pair of shoes,” she said. “Whatever it takes so a student can walk into class ready to learn.”

Her days are filled with the unseen needs of students—building trust, connecting families with food pantries, stocking clothing closets, or simply being the adult who listens when a child feels unheard. Much of her credibility comes from life experience. “A lot of kids believe adults can’t understand their world,” she said. “But I can look them in the eye and say, you will get through this. I know, because I’ve been there too.”

While Leabu addresses crises, Reiman prepares students for the long arc of adulthood. A Trico graduate himself, his career path wound from computer science to flower shop ownership, to serving as COO at Walker’s Bluff Winery, before returning home to teach. In his classroom, students tackle practical skills like budgeting, insurance, and managing paychecks—concepts that will carry them into adulthood with confidence. “Today’s lesson was about inflation,” he explained. “We tied it directly to their paychecks so they could see what it really means in their lives.”

Together, their roles overlap in what they call “readiness for life.” Leabu lays the foundation by helping junior high students build resilience and explore early career interests through programs like SchooLinks, a new platform that helps match students’ strengths with potential paths. By the time those students reach high school, Reiman takes them further, teaching them how to navigate the real-world challenges that await.

The impact is both practical and profound. “One thing I’ve heard from employers is that when they see an application with Trico on it, that student goes to the top of the stack,” Rieman said. “That reputation—of good kids, hardworking kids—means something.”

Leabu drives nearly an hour each way to be part of this team, but says the community makes every mile worth it. “I’m not from here, but I’ve never been treated like an outsider. People are kind, and the kids are incredible. That’s why I stay.”

In the quiet ways they show up—stocking a clothing closet, explaining insurance premiums, listening when no one else will—Leabu and Reiman are shaping lives. Not just for today, but for every tomorrow into which their students will step