Calling all students who have the dream of transferring to a four year university and don’t understand the college process. The Puente Program bridges the gap between the drop out and transfer rate for undeserving students.
Puente is a one year program that helps students transfer to a four year college or university. Students must be eligible for English 60 and also Counseling 150. Members do not need to be Latino to join; this is an ethnically diverse program open to all. Puente takes about 30 students and it’s important to sign up early to get a spot.
“Puente program is a helpful program, and I definitely would recommend this program to other students,” said Geraldo Murillo, Aviation major.
Puente Program boasts a 68 percent transfer rate. Puente Program instills academic success in their students; dedicated coordinators, professors, and mentors continue to show students the way to make their dreams of a college education come true.
“The mission of the Puente Program is to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students who enroll in four year colleges and universities earn college degrees and return to the communities as mentors and leaders for future generations. The word Puente means bridge, so it’s a bridge program from the college to the university. They are exposed to plays and public speeches. There is a lot they learn in just being in the program. So it’s not just going to school, they learn a lot about life,” said Therese Mosqueda-Ponce Ph.d, Counselor and Coordinator for the Puente Program.
Members of Puente take road trips to colleges in Northern California. The students get the opportunity to see the different learning environments outside of their area. Taking the students to physically see the universities motivates them academically.
Puente Program does philanthropic activities like the Kindercaminata event which exposes kindergarten children to college, Club Rush and fundraisers for scholarships.
The students do social events like bomb fires and rock climbing. It’s important for the students to get to know each other since they are in classes together. They also are taken to cultural plays and poetry readings. These cultural events reinforce what the student learns in their English 60 and 100 classes. Puente members are matched with professionals in the community that are doing the job they want in the future. Mentors are important because they can share their knowledge and experience.
Puente has a mentoring component, after students complete the program they are asked to mentor incoming Puente students in English or any other subjects they are proficient in. Even some alumni members come back and mentor the new members.
Students who meet the criteria for Puente should join and not miss out on the academic, counseling, philanthropic and mentoring opportunities Puente offers. With a 68 percent transfer rate, this is a chance no one can pass up.
This program is the bridge to a brighter future. Don’t miss it.
