PUENTE'S MISSION

The mission of the Puente Project is to increase the number of educationally underserved students who enroll in four year colleges and universities, earn degrees, and return to the community as leaders and mentors to future generations. Puente is open to all interested students.

THE PUENTE PROGRAM

Three components work together to prepare students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities:

• ENGLISH INSTRUCTION
  Puente students take two consecutive writing classes, English 28 (Fall) and English 101 (Spring). These classes provide a supportive and stimulating environment for Puente students with an emphasis on developing writing skills through an exploration of the Mexican American/Latino experience.
• COUNSELING
  Puente students work closely with their Puente counselor to explore career options, develop an academic educational plan, individual counseling sessions and identify their goals through the Puente Personal Development course, Introduction to College (Personal Development1) which is offered Fall semester. Students visit campuses of the University of California and other four-year universities and attend an annual Puente student transfer motivational conference.
• MENTORING
  Puente students are matched with an academically and professionally successful mentor from the community. Mentors share with the students how they managed to succeed in the educational system, how they succeed as professionals while maintaining their cultural identity, and how they now balance family, career and community related activities, and provide resources for student assignments and projects.

RESULTS

• Over 20,000 students have been served to date
• Over 280,000 students have benefited from the extended impact of Puente training
• Retention of Puente students is 92%, compared with 60% for community college students statewide
• Community Colleges with Puente programs transfer 44 percent more Latino students to the University of California than colleges without Puente
• Puente is the only post-secondary program in California ever to receive the prestigious national Innovations in American Government Award

FOR MORE INFORMATION...

You must sign up for the class with the Puente Counselor. Contact Dorothy Teola at (323) 267-3763 and/or Carlos Centeno at (323) 780-6713 or email at teoladv@elac.edu / centenc@elac.edu

*All classes and programs held at the ELAC Main Campus.

Puente is co-sponsored by the California Community Colleges and the University of California. http://www.puente.net