PUENTE was founded in 1981 by co-directors Felix Galaviz and Patricia McGrath, at Chabot College in Hayward. The project's mission was to increase the number of Mexican American/Latino students transferring to four-year colleges and universities. Since then, PUENTE has expanded to 59 community colleges throughout the state. As an outgrowth of its success as a community college program, PUENTE piloted a high school version of its program in 1993 that is now operational in 35 high schools throughout the state. PUENTE is open to all students.
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 professional
Outstanding Results
- PUENTE serves more than 7,000 students per year.
- More than 2,500 professionals donate more than 18,000 hours annually to PUENTE students.
- An estimated 200,000 non-PUENTE students have benefited from PUENTE's staff developmental programs.
- Community colleges with PUENTE projects transfer 44 percent more Latino students to the University of California than colleges without PUENTE.
For more information on these services and programs contact:
Sinar Lomeli
She/her/hers
PUENTE Project Counselor/Coordinator
Oceanside Campus
PUENTE@miracosta.edu
The PUENTE Project is a service of the Department of Student Equity. For general inquiries about all Student Equity programs and services, please contact us at studentequity@miracosta.edu or call our main office at 760.757.2121 x6900.
