From Campus To Congress: Students Take Their Stories To Capitol Hill

March 5, 2026

Four Dallas College students recently took their voices all the way to Capitol Hill — and they brought the stories of more than 130,000 fellow students with them. 

At the March 3 board meeting, the student leaders shared highlights from their trip to Washington, D.C., where they represented Dallas College at the Association of Community College Trustees 2026 National Legislative Summit. 

The students selected to attend were: 

• Paige Davis, vice president of the Dallas College Student Ambassadors and a single mother of three who will graduate this spring with an Associate of Arts. 
• John Parker, a veteran of the Texas Army National Guard and member of the Dallas College chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is pursuing an Associate of Science and plans to transfer into a four-year mechanical engineering program. 
• Cristian Castillo, a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Cybersecurity Club, who will earn his bachelor’s degree in software development this fall. 
• Angel Olayokun, a Student Ambassador who will graduate this spring with an Associate of Science in Nursing. 

From Feb. 8–11, the group joined student leaders from across the country in the nation’s capital. They attended policy sessions featuring Nicholas Kent, undersecretary of education, and Manu Raju, senior congressional correspondent for CNN. They also participated in the Student Trustee Advisory Committee meeting alongside more than 100 community college students nationwide. 

The students met directly with congressional representatives to share how federal policy decisions affect real Dallas College students — from veterans and working parents to future engineers and nurses.

Dallas College students meet with U.S. Representative Jasmine Crocket on Capitol Hill. From left to right, Cristian Castillo, Paige Davis, Rep. Crockett, Angel Olayokun, and John Parker. 

The highlight? Walking the halls of Congress. 

For Parker, the experience was especially powerful. 

“I had been to Washington, D.C., before as part of the Army Reserve after the Jan. 6 incident,” Parker said. “I got to go from outsider to insider. Hopefully seeing me face-to-face with representatives will remind them of who they are making laws for.” 

From networking with national leaders to advocating on Capitol Hill, the trip offered a behind-the-scenes look at how policy shapes higher education — and a reminder that student voices matter. 

And this time, Dallas College students weren’t just watching history. They were helping shape it. 

 

• Campus News