Puente Students

• Succeed academically

• Are recognized as leaders and scholars

• Graduate from four-year colleges and universities

• Belong to a statewide network of leaders and professionals

The Puente Program

Many components work together to prepare Puente students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities:

• English Instruction Puente students take two consecutive writing classes, ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 1A) + and ENGL C1001 (formerly ENGL 2). These classes provide a supportive and stimulating environment for Puente students to build confidence in their writing skills through an exploration of the Mexican American/ Latino experience.

• Counseling Puente students work closely with their Puente counselor until they graduate, exploring career options, developing an academic educational plan and identifying lifetime goals. Students visit University of California and California State University campuses and attend an annual Puente student transfer conference.

Mentors

Puente students are matched with mentors from the business or professional community. Mentors share with students their personal, academic and career experiences, and provide a window into "real life" work environments. The network of trained Puente mentors provides many resources for the Puente students, their families, their colleges, and the community.

Outstanding Results

• Over 7,000 students have enrolled in the Puente community college program

• Over 2,500 professionals donate over 18,000 hours annually to Puente students

• An estimated 200,000 non-Puente students have benefited form Puente's staff development programs

• Community colleges with Puente programs transfer 44 percent more Latino students to the University of California than colleges without Puente