Press Releases 2007

CONTACT:  Mary Planding, Marketing & Communications
(831) 479-5744
mary.planding [at] cabrillo.edu

Sepember 25, 2007

Digital Bridge Academy Inspires Under-Prepared Students to Succeed
Hewlett’s $1,000,000 Grant Boosts Expansion of Landmark Program

Aptos, CA – The Cabrillo College Foundation has received a $1,000,000 gift from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in support of Cabrillo College’s Digital Bridge Academy (DBA), Cabrillo’s landmark program that helps students who are not traditionally college-bound succeed in college.

DBA is for all students who are under-prepared and not considering attending college. DBA students range in age from 17 to 55, are mostly from low-income backgrounds, have migrant parents and are the first in their families to attend college.

The Hewlett Foundation gift is earmarked to replicate this successful program at community colleges throughout the state. It is the largest foundation gift of its kind received by the Cabrillo College Foundation.

Prior to beginning the DBA program in 2003, Cabrillo College instructor Diego James Navarro researched what it would take to help this population of under-prepared students succeed in college. He determined that instead of the traditional remedial courses, a college-level curriculum of accelerated immersion relevant to students’ complex lives was most needed. The DBA is designed to reevaluate students’ past educational experiences and help them regain their motivation to learn.

“These types of students are not being encouraged to go to college,” Navarro said. “They’re very bright, but we have to make sure education is relevant to their lives.” Outreach efforts are conducted to recruit students who would benefit from the program.

In an initial “bridge” semester, students are immersed in language acquisition, research skills and analysis. They learn about styles of learning, leadership and technology to prepare them for a team presentation at the end of the semester related to a community research project of their choosing.

Andrew Martinez, 27, struggled in junior and high school and certainly wasn’t focused on college or a career when he landed in the first DBA class in 2003. His family had moved from Texas to Sweden where he lived for 10 years and fell in with the wrong crowd. He eventually landed in Watsonville where his father had once lived and he still had family. He couldn’t concentrate in school, suffered from attention deficit disorder and struggled to find his way.

“I had exhausted my resources,” Martinez recalled. “I had to create my own future and way here. It’s a tough thing to do in the states because there are so many traps for a young guy.”

Martinez transferred this fall to California State University of Monterey Bay where he is studying for a bachelor’s degree in collaborative health and human services. He plans to go on to earn a master’s degree and work as a counselor.

About 175 students have completed the DBA semester at Cabrillo. The majority of DBA students, as high as 82 percent in some semesters, go on to enroll full-time. The phenomenal success rate of the program has drawn nationwide praise. DBA students’ grade point averages also increased significantly, from 1.67 to 3.02.

“The program serves 50 students each year. In three years, the goal is to reach 375 students at Cabrillo through both the Watsonville and Aptos campuses and to scale the program statewide by the summer of 2010,” Navarro said.

Andres Medina, 24, who enrolled in DBA in 2005, will be the first in his family to complete college. “I went from Cs and Ds in high school to being an A student after one semester,” he said. “I realized I can do whatever I want to do when I set my mind to it.” Medina, who represents Watsonville students on the Cabrillo College Student Senate, plans to transfer to a four-year college and eventually get a degree in counseling.

“My life is so different now,” Medina says.  “Diego always taught us to work on our will to succeed, to listen, to be on time. He told us that if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can’t get what you want. Those are real life lessons.”

Navarro is a former executive from the high technology industry and has applied corporate research and process design methods to his work for DBA.

Currently funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation, the program has garnered more than $3,000,000 in funding in the last five years.

About Cabrillo College

Cabrillo College is a leading California community college serving Santa Cruz County with locations in Aptos, Scotts Valley and Watsonville. It is ranked #1 in transfers to UC Santa Cruz. Founded in 1959, the college offers over 100 academic and career technology programs that serve multiple educational goals such as A.A. and A.S. degrees, certificates of proficiency, skills certificates, transfer to 4-year institutions or for lifelong learning and personal enrichment. Our mission is to enhance the intellectual, cultural, and economic vitality of our diverse community by assisting all students in their quest for lifelong learning and success in an ever-changing world.

About Cabrillo College Foundation

The Cabrillo College Foundation was established in 1962 as a private, non-profit organization; its sole mission is to provide support for Cabrillo College, its students and faculty. For more information about the Cabrillo College Foundation, contact Executive Director Melinda Silverstein at 831-479-6338 or mesilverstein@cabrillo.edu.