Free to Learn - Bringing Community College Home to the Coast

Free to Learn - Bringing Community College Home to the Coast

Author: Sophia Layne August 13, 2026 Duration: 26:12

Host Sophia Layne takes a walk through downtown Half Moon Bay with Lisa Petrides, starting at the new College of San Mateo Coastside campus at the corner of Mill and Purissima Streets, for a conversation about how free community college came to San Mateo County, the years of community partnership that made a Coastside campus possible, and what it means to build a "learning city" in a small town.

Along the way, the two talk about growing up Greek-American, the role artificial intelligence should (and shouldn't) play in education, and Lisa's vision for turning the whole Coastside — its businesses, its library, its construction sites — into a living classroom.

Lisa Petrides, Ph.D., is a trustee on the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Board of Trustees, representing Area 1, which includes the Coastside and a number of Peninsula communities. She is the founder and CEO of the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), a Half Moon Bay–based education nonprofit, and the creator of OER Commons, an award-winning digital library of open educational resources. A former faculty member at Columbia University's Teachers College, she holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy from Stanford. On the SMCCCD Board, she has been a driving force behind the district's free tuition program and the new College of San Mateo Coastside campus.

Sophia Layne is a public advocate, nature lover, long-time Coastsider, and mom. She's a former medical affairs director in the biomedical industry and has served on her local school board and with county- and statewide public education advocacy organizations.


Sophia Layne hosts On Location-Coastside Edition, a podcast that digs into the complex fabric of community life where society, culture, and policy intersect. Each episode moves beyond abstract debate, grounding discussions in the tangible realities and unique character of coastal regions. The conversations explore how local decisions on education, environmental stewardship, and economic development are deeply woven into broader cultural narratives and news cycles. Sophia’s perspective is shaped by her direct experience in crafting public education policy at local and state levels, as well as her professional view from within the global biomedical field. This combination allows for a distinctive analysis of how communities can invest in themselves wisely and sustainably. The aim is to foster a more informed and interconnected dialogue, one that operates from a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. By examining the threads that connect a school board meeting to international research, or a coastal preservation effort to statewide budgetary choices, this podcast offers a grounded yet expansive look at building a resilient future. It’s not about returning to an idealized past, but about thoughtfully navigating toward a more robust and equitable version of our shared world. Tune in for a series of thoughtful, on-the-ground explorations that make the connections between our daily lives and the larger systems around us both clear and compelling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 18

On Location - Coastside Edition
Podcast Episodes
What we carry – legacy, identity, and community art [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:44
Host Sophia Layne steps inside a hidden artist's studio and gallery in Half Moon Bay, tucked behind a bike shop near California’s iconic Highway One. As Kitsune Studios hosts its third annual celebration of Asian America…
Dream it, do it - teen robotics and the future of work [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:18
Host Sophia Layne heads to the inaugural FIRST Robotics California Northern State Championship for a front-row seat at one of the most energizing things happening on the Coastside — and possibly one of the most under the…
Open to all – the quiet revolution boosting literacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:24
Host Sophia Layne sits down with Susan Alvaro at the Half Moon Bay Library for a wide-ranging conversation about the inner workings of public education, the power of literacy, and the many ways community members can get…
Season's Greetings! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:14
There’s been so much to get swept up in at the national level over the past year or so – though while ‘flooding the zone’ is not a new strategy, the tides are indeed starting to turn (if slowly…).While it’s the tradition…
The land we love – and the democracy we build [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:05
Host Sophia Layne walks the Half Moon Bay, CA, blufftops with Barbara Dye — community leader, land trust advocate, and two-time Peace Corps volunteer. Barbara shares her journey from preserving thousands of acres in Sout…
Shaping the shoreline – whales, sails, and tales [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:19
Host Sophia Layne chats with Virginia Chang-Kiraly, a member of both the San Mateo County Harbor District and Menlo Park Fire Protection District Boards, at Surfers Beach in Half Moon Bay, California, as whales spout jus…
Education for all – breaking barriers, building futures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:49
Host Sophia Layne walks through Half Moon Bay with Hector Camacho, Executive Director of Equity, Social Justice, and Inclusion at the San Mateo County Office of Education. As they pass by local schools, their conversatio…